Lost Past, New Friends
by SonicFanaticInc
Summary: This is a story about a black hedgehog who had no friends and trusted no one. This story is also about how 3 guys opened his heart and showed him the meaning of friendship.
1. Prologue

**Lost Past, New Friends**

**Author's Note: Hi, thanks for reading this story. I'm still working on ****The Demonic Angel****, but I figured I should get this story down before I forgot. So many ideas so little time. In this story, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all live in this big house together as roommates. I had no idea how to explain that in the story so I put it here lol. So please read, review, and most importantly, enjoy.**

* * *

Sonic awoke with a yawn. He rolled over in his bed to glance at the clock. It was 7:30 AM. "Well," mumbled Sonic, "Time to start the day." Sonic changed his socks and gloves, and then he quietly opened the door to his room. He looked about the hallway and listened for a moment. He could hear Knuckles' loud snoring coming from the room across from his own. Sonic shook his head and craned his neck to look at the door next to his. There was absolute silence.

* * *

Sonic tiptoed down the hallway and slipped into the bathroom. He went to work on his bed-head. Sonic opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed his brush, comb, and quill gel. Taking a deep breath, Sonic began to comb through his tangled quills. He grimaced as the comb caught on knots and yanked painfully at his scalp. After a good 15 minutes, Sonic had combed out his quills perfectly causing them to settle into a sort of low hanging cloud that went to his shoulders. _Maybe it's time for me to get my quills cut. Or at least trimmed._ Thought Sonic as he began to brush the blue mass. As he brushed, the quills recovered from being yanked and pulled and began to revert to their natural state. When Sonic had finished, his quills puffed outward and upward in their natural style. "Heh, check me out. I make this look good." said Sonic as looked at him-self in the mirror. With a shake of his head and a smile, Sonic reached for his quill gel. "Sorry quills but I don't feel like going with the natural look today." he said with a smirk as he removed his gloves and dabbed his fingers into the jar. He smeared the gel into a chunk of his quills and pulled it backward. It stuck in a slightly drooping cone shape. Sonic went to work on making 5 more cones. Tails had custom made the special gel just for Sonic. It was the only thing strong enough to hold his quills in place.

* * *

Sonic gave his signature chuckle as he winked at himself in the mirror. He exited the bathroom and went towards the kitchen. As he passed the door to the basement, Sonic could hear Tails speaking excitedly. He stopped and waited for him to come up the stairs.

* * *

Tails burst out of the basement, grinning ear to ear, "Oh my God, Oh my God! This is so exciting!"

Sonic snagged him by the scruff of his neck, "Whoa, little bro. Cool your jets and keep your voice down. Knux is still sleeping."

Tails covered his mouth and snickered, "Sorry Sonic but I'm just so excited!"

Sonic put Tails down and ruffled his bangs, "It's cool. So what's the fuss about?"

"Well, Dr. Botner at the University of Neurological Studies has come up with a radical new theory that could cure mental diseases like Alzheimer's and chronic amnesia! It involves a specialized machine that he asked me to build! Isn't this great?! This could be the greatest project of my career!"

"Well congratulations! But keep it down or-"

"Or what?" asked Knuckles as he appeared beside them, rubbing his eyes.

"Never mind." laughed Sonic, "Tails just got a big project and he's really jazzed about it."

"Oh cool. What is it?" replied Knuckles, looking interested.

Tails answered proudly, "It's a machine that will cure Alzheimer's and chronic amnesia!" Suddenly Tails' face took on an expression that Sonic knew well.

"What's your idea Tails? I know that look."

Tails turned to Sonic, "I was just thinking, this machine could do wonders for Shadow. If it works, he could finally get his memory back." There was a moment of silence as everyone thought this over.

Knuckles spoke up and said, "So Sonic when are you going to make breakfast? It's your week to cook and I'm starving."

Sonic laughed, "Knuckles is there a time when you _don't_ think about food?"

* * *

After breakfast, Tails took Sonic aside, "Sonic I need a huge favor from you."

Sonic nodded, "What is it?"

Tails hesitated before saying, "I need you to track down Shadow for me."

Sonic's ears went up in surprise, "Ok. But why if you don't mind my asking."

"This machine really would help Shadow and I want him to be the first to try it when it's built. So I need you to find him and ask him to come here. I want to explain everything in person. I would do it myself but I have to build the machine."

Sonic crossed his arms, "You know, this isn't going to be easy. Shadows more of a drifter than I am but I'm not sure he'll want to come if I do find him. But don't worry Tails; I'll get the job done."

Tails' face lit up in a smile as he hugged Sonic and said, "Thanks Sonic."

Sonic hugged him back, "No problem bro." Sonic went to the front door. Against the wall was everyone's shoes. Sonic put on his trusty sneakers, stretched his legs a little and dashed out the door. The house was on the outskirts of town so he had to travel a little to get to the city. As he ran, Sonic thought, _Man! So much excitement and I haven't even gone on my morning jog yet!"_

* * *

**Author's Note: Here's the first chapter of my new story! I'm still doing The Demonic Angel but it's a long story and I'm still sorting everything out. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story. Please read and review. Thx.**


	2. Ready To Trust Again

**Chapter 2**

Sonic sat down on a park bench and sighed. He had a newspaper in one hand and a chili-dog in the other. Sonic had been dashing about the city all morning asking people about Shadow to no avail. It had seemed the black hedgehog had disappeared. Sonic took a bite of his chili-dog and opened the newspaper. He flipped through it and scanned the various articles with vague disinterest. Sonic took a huge bite as he glanced at one article and nearly choked. After catching his breath, Sonic examined the article more carefully. The title was '**BLACK HEDGEHOG ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPING TO STEAL POLICE WEAPONS**'. After reading the article Sonic called Tails with his communicator, "You there Tails?"

"Yeah I'm here. Any luck?"

"Yes but um, there's a bit of a snag. I found out that Shadow is in a city a couple hundred miles away from here."

"That's not so bad. You could be there and back by dinner time."

"That's not the snag. The snag is that Shadow went and got himself thrown in jail."

"Aw man! What did he do?"

"According to this newspaper article, he tried to steal guns from the cops."

"Now what are we going to do?"

"Listen Tails don't worry. I'll take care of it. I'll call you back when I have Shadow with me." Sonic hung up and finished his chili-dog. He would need the energy for the run ahead.

* * *

Shadow sat alone on the cot of his cell, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. _Stupid humans. They think being in jail is a punishment? HA! This is bliss for me! A nice quiet place away from everything that annoys me and a place for me to think. Punishment indeed! _Shadow's ears went up as he heard footsteps coming down the corridor of cells. He turned toward the bars and put on his most defiant face. Sonic stepped in front of his cell. Immediately, Shadow's hard expression crumbled into shock. He quickly put his guard up once more, "What the hell are you doing here…" Shadow paused, then after a second's thought added, "Faker."

At once annoyance and disdain crossed the blue hedgehog's face as he irritably replied, "Well that's a fine hello for somebody who just bailed you out of jail."

Shadow was taken aback, "What? You bailed me out? Why would you do that?"

"Because Tails wants to talk to you about a very special project he's working on."

"Why would I care about that nerd's little projects?"

Anger flashed in Sonic's eyes and he took a step closer to the cell bars, "Why don't you shut your mouth, Fak-" Sonic caught himself and took a deep breath, "Listen Shadow. I didn't come here for you. If you ask me, you should stay here for a while. It serves you right. I came here because of Tails. He really thinks you would be able to help him."

Shadow shuffled his foot as he glanced around his cell, "This place has a phone. Tails doesn't need to send a messenger boy."

A low growl escaped from between Sonic's teeth, "He wanted to explain in person. Now you can either come with me or stay here. Which is it?"

Shadow showed an air of indifference but inside he thought, _What is all of this about? I don't understand what Tails would want with me. Well anything is better than this stuffy cell. _Shadow went to the bars of the cell, "Fine. I'll come with you."

Sonic gave a sigh of relief, "Good. Now let's get out of here." Sonic tossed Shadow the red Chaos Emerald.

Shadow smirked as he said, "Chaos Control!"

* * *

Knuckles awoke from his nap on the living room sofa as he heard the front door knob turning. He gave a disgruntled snort and rolled over in an attempt to get back to sleep. _I can never get a decent nap around here between all of the noise Tails makes in the basement and Sonic constantly going in and out of the house! I wonder what Sonic is going to make for dinner? It better not be chili-dogs again. I still have indigestion from the last time!_ The front door slammed, giving Knuckles a small jolt. He sat up and debated whether it was worth the effort to get up and tell Sonic for the hundredth time not to slam the front door.

As he thought it over, Sonic could be heard, "You can take your shoes off and put them here."

Knuckles rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Great, I'll never be able to nap now that Sonics bought home company."

Sonic's voice rang through the house, "TAILS! I'm back!" Knuckles got off the sofa.

He rounded the corner leading to the front door, "Hey how come I don't get a hell-" Knuckles stopped dead in his tracks. Shadow was taking off his shoes and placing them against the wall. He looked up to see Knuckles staring at him and glared. Knuckles grabbed Sonic by the arm and pulled him into the living room, "What the hell is _he_ doing here?!" he said in a whisper.

Sonic yanked away his arm and whispered back, "He's here because of Tails' thing, remember? I don't like it any more than you do. I just want to get this over with so he leaves."

Knuckles sighed, "Fine. I'll be in my room."

Shadow stepped into the living room as Knuckles left, "So where is Tails? I want to get this over and done with."

"Somebody call me?" Tails peeked out of the basement door. He had his welding goggles and mitts on and his face was slightly smeared with sweat and oil.

"Yeah. Shadows here." said Sonic.

Tails' ears went up as he said, "Oh! Sorry Shadow, I didn't see you! Give me one sec and I'll be right there." Tails disappeared into the basement. He came back less than five minutes later looking less grubby, "Ok let's head into the kitchen."

* * *

Shadow sat at the kitchen table in stunned silence. At last he spoke, "So let me get this straight. This machine your making will be able to let me remember my past?" Tails nodded. Shadow rubbed his temples in an unsuccessful attempt to ease the headache that was forming, "This is crazy. I've gone to doctors of all kinds and they all told me that my memory is permanently damaged. What makes you think that this contraption of yours will work?"

Tails replied, "Well to tell you that, I'd have to go into all of the technical stuff and that would take us forever."

Shadow stared at him with a guarded face and untrusting eyes, "So why do you need my help with this… 'miracle machine'?"

Tails scratched the back of his head nervously in a way that Shadow found annoyingly similar to Sonic. "The reason I need your help is because this machine is built to access the deepest parts of your mind and your subconscious. And in order to do that, I need to sync it with you so that it becomes almost like an extension of your mind. It's very complex and difficult to explain but the bottom line is that I would not be able to complete it without your cooperation."

Shadow leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "Well I'm sorry Tails, I won't be able to help you with this. I've got things to take care of but before I can even get started on that, I have to find a place to live. So thanks but no thanks." Shadow got up from the table and walked toward the living room. Sonic was stretched out on the couch reading the book _1001 Arabian Nights. _He looked up briefly as Shadow entered. Shadow stopped and said, "I hope you weren't too attached to the red Chaos Emerald because I'm keeping it."

Sonic continued to read as he said, "Whatever, I don't care. Just don't give it to Eggman." Shadow continued to the front door. Tails ran up behind him as Shadow put on his shoes.

Before the fox could say anything, Shadow cut him off, "Save your breath Tails. I already gave you my answer."

"But Shadow please! Hear me out. I-"

"What part of no do you not understand?!" Tails shrunk back, frightened by Shadow's outburst.

Sonic appeared as Shadow opened the front door, "Are we having a problem back here?"

Shadow stepped out, "No. I was just leaving."

Tails grabbed by the Shadow by the wrist and said, "Wait Shadow, what if you lived here?"

* * *

Shadow froze in his tracks with surprise showing clearly on his face. Sonic grabbed Tails by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back. The kitsune protested, "OW! Dang it Sonic stop doing that!"

Sonic leaned in and whispered, "Sorry, but have you lost your mind?!"

"No I haven't! I'm dead serious!" came the defiant reply.

Sonic frowned, "Tails, he can't stay here. He's as shady as they come and besides, where is he going to sleep?"

After a moment of thought, Tails said, "He can sleep in the game room. We can move the video game stuff into the living room." Shadow stood there as the two whispered back and forth.

He thought to himself, _What the hell is going on? Why would Tails want me to live with them? Is he really that desperate? Maybe…maybe he really does want to help me get my memory back… _

Tails broke away from Sonic and went to Shadow who still had a bewildered look about him, "So, what do you say?" Tails extended his hand. Shadow looked at the hand and at Tails. He also looked over at Sonic who was eyeing him suspiciously. Every instinct Shadow had told him to walk away. But there was a tiny glimmer of hope in him said that perhaps it was time for the lonely drifting from place to place to end. Shadow hesitantly took Tails' hand and shook it.

_Maria, I think I'm ready to trust again._

* * *

**Author's Note: AWWW! I'm going to have so much fun with this story. And in case any of you are wondering, this will not turn into a crack couple story! All though, it is a little OOC I guess. Anyways, please read, review and most importantly, enjoy! I'll have more chapters up soon. Especially since summer vacation is coming up. WHOOO! XD Happy Mother's Day everybody!**


	3. Painful Rememberings

**Chapter 3**

Shadow opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. At first what he saw confused him. He was laying on a futon in a room with several shelves of video games. Shadow sat up and remembered the previous day's events. _I wonder if Tails' machine will actually work. I could get my memory back, all of it. _Shadow's train of thought was derailed as his stomach growled. The growling intensified as a delicious smell wafted into the room. It smelled of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Shadow left the room to find the source of the appetizing aroma.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic was at the stove scrambling another batch of eggs while Knuckles set the table. "Hey Knux, don't forget to set a place for Shadow." reminded Sonic.

Knuckles grumbled, "Why is he _living_ with us again?"

Sonic flipped the cooked eggs onto a plate, "Relax, it's only temporary. Shadow is only here to help Tails with his project. When it's done, Shadow leaves. I'm guessing he doesn't like being here anymore than we like him here."

Knuckles slammed down a plate, "Then why the heck did he agree?!"

Sonic turned and shouted, "I don't know! Just try and be civil ok?"

"Fine."

Tails came up from his lab in the basement and sat down at the table. "Sonic, is it just me or are you getting really good in the kitchen? I can smell that food all the way in the basement!"

Sonic smiled, "Whatever man! I'm just glad I didn't burn it!"

Knuckles replied, "Yes, thank God for that. Now let's eat!"

Tails protested, "Shouldn't we wait for Shadow?"

At that moment Shadow walked into the kitchen. "Speak of the devil." mumbled Knuckles who was quickly elbowed by Sonic.

There was an awkward moment of silence until Tails spoke up, "Morning Shadow."

Shadow cleared his throat and replied, "Good Morning."

An uncomfortable quiet settled once more until Sonic said, "Well, uh, breakfast is done so, bring your plates and help yourselves." Shadow hung back until everyone else had gotten food.

When he had made his plate he said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to eat in the other room."

Tails gestured to an extra chair at the table, "Are you sure? You're welcome to eat with us."

Shadow shook his head, "No thank you. I'd rather eat alone." Tails' ears drooped slightly as Shadow exited the kitchen.

Sonic sat down in his chair, "Don't feel too bad Tails. Shadows just being Shadow."

Tails sighed, "I know."

* * *

Later that day, Shadow emerged from what was now his room and went toward the front door. He was putting on his shoes when Tails came up from the basement, "Wait a minute Shadow! I need your help with something."

Shadow replied, "I can't right now. I have an errand to run."

"Please Shadow? This will only take a second, I promise!" Shadow turned around to deliver a heated answer and saw Tails looking at him with pleading sky blue eyes.

Shadow groaned as he approached the basement door, "Fine. But make it quick and stop looking at me like that!" Tails led Shadow to the corner of his basement lab that he had reserved for the project. The two connected walls were plastered with blueprints, designs, lists, and calculations. Various tools and parts were spread out on the floor. Shadow looked around, "Jeez, when was the last time you picked this dump up?"

Ignoring the insult, Tails said, "When I work, I like to have everything spread out where I can easily spot and grab it. But I always clean up when I take breaks or when I finish. Anyways I need your help over here." Tails took Shadow to a desk with two chairs and a mess of monitors, wires and electronics. "Have a seat."

Shadow plopped into the chair and crossed his arms, "Can we speed this up a little?"

Tails chuckled, "Careful Shadow, you're starting to sound like Sonic!"

Shadow growled, "Listen, I have places to be and things to do. So if you don't get this thing moving, I'm leaving." T

ails went over to Shadow, "Ok, ok, hold still. I need to attach these sensors to the sides of your head."

Shadow eyed Tails suspiciously, "What is the purpose of these sensors?"

Tails attached the sensors to Shadow's head, "These sensors are going to measure the frequency of your brain waves."Shadow appeared confused so Tails went on to explain, "I need to measure the frequency of your brain waves in order to program the machine. It's really complex." Tails then switched on the monitors. He grabbed a clipboard and sat down facing the monitors. "In order to properly program the machine, I need to measure your brain waves when they are highest so the machine doesn't short out, and when they are lowest so it can still detect them. I've recorded a base for your brain waves while I was explaining this so we can move ahead. Alright Shadow, I need you to relax as much as possible. Think calm, serene thoughts." Shadow took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He thought of his special thinking place that only he knew about.

* * *

It was in the middle of the wilderness. The sky was always blue, untainted by the smog of the city. There were no cars, crowds of people, or buildings. There was only waving grass, fluffy clouds, and a lone oak tree on a hill. This was the only place Shadow could be truly alone. This place made Shadow happy. Or did it? That hill was in the middle of nowhere, miles from anyone and nobody knew it was even there. Shadow went there often and sometimes, the hill felt empty. It was almost like something was missing. Shadow had always assumed it was Maria. But now, he was starting to think otherwise.

* * *

Shadow quickly opened his eyes as Tails called his name, "Shadow, I'm done recording."

"Oh, sorry." Shadow replied distractedly, "Did it work?"

Tails looked over his notes and the monitors, "Hmmm… It looks like towards the end your brain waves climbed a little but that's not a problem. I have what I need. Now, this next part might suck a little. I need you think of something that upsets you or makes you angry." Shadow gave Tails a doubting look before shutting his eyes once more. Shadow went straight to the one of the most upsetting memories he possessed.

* * *

The G.U.N. soldiers were closing in as the two wound their way through the maze-like halls of Space Colony ARK. They rounded several corners until it looked like they had lost the soldiers. "Wait… *pant pant* I need… a rest… Please Shadow…" gasped Maria as she let go of Shadow's hand and stopped to catch her breath.

Shadow went to her side, "Maria, we can't stop here. The soldiers are still looking for us. We have to keep moving."

"I know but I must rest." replied Maria.

"Maria, we have to-" Shadow was cut off by the heavy boot steps of the G.U.N. soldiers.

Maria grabbed Shadow's hand and pulled him down another hallway, "This way Shadow!" The two ran until they reached an open room with escape pods. Shadow slammed and locked the door as Maria dashed to one of the computers.

Shadow went to Maria, "What are you doing? Why are we here with the escape pods?" Maria knelt and hugged Shadow who froze in her embrace. Her long blonde hair brushed his face and her arms squeezed him tightly. Shadow stammered, "Ma-Maria? Whats-whats going on?" Suddenly, a bang sounded as the G.U.N soldiers burst through the door. Maria shoved Shadow into a capsule which snapped closed immediately. Shadow tried to open it from the inside but it wouldn't budge.

A G.U.N. soldier pointed his pistol at Maria, "Freeze! One move and I'll shoot!" Shadow watched helplessly from behind the glass. Without warning, Maria darted to the control panel and slammed a button. At that moment the G.U.N. soldier opened fire and a bullet hit Maria in her gut area.

She toppled to the ground, her face turned toward Shadow who shouted, "MARIA!"

Maria looked at Shadow, tears streaming down her face and blood trickling from her mouth, "Shadow… please help the people of Earth… they need you… promise me…. Shadow…"

"I will Maria, I promise! Please Maria, you can't die!" At that moment, the escape pod launched. "NO! MARIA! NOOOO!"

* * *

Shadow was jerked back to reality by a gentle shake from Tails. Tails looked at him with concern, "Are you ok Shadow?"

Shadow cleared his throat, "Yeah. I'm fine. Please tell me you got what you needed."

Tails quickly nodded, "I got plenty of data. We don't have to do that again anytime soon."

"Thank God. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." Before Tails could say anything else, Shadow was up the basement steps.

Sonic was in the hallway when Shadow came up from the basement and made for the front door, "Hey Shadow. Where ya go-" SLAM! "In."

Knuckles came up behind Sonic, "Dammit Sonic why do you have to always slam the door?! People are trying to nap!"

Sonic replied, "That was Shadow, not me."

Tails peeped his head out of the basement, "Where did Shadow go?"

Sonic shrugged, "Out the door and off to God knows where."

* * *

Shadow collapsed onto the grass beneath the oak panting. _Why did I run all the way here? I could have used Chaos Control. What the Hell is wrong with me? _Shadow laid there trying to answer his own question but quickly gave up. As he looked up through the dappled light of the oak tree, Shadow attempted to calm his racing mind and rapidly pounding heart. He sat up and looked around. Alone as usual. Except this time it didn't feel nice. It felt empty and lonely.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello! I know it's been awhile but I have not disappeared off the face of the Earth. I got really busy with the last few days of school and stuff. I barely had time for brushing my teeth let alone typing! But all I can say is that it's good to be back and now that summer vacation is here, I plan to get a lot of work done. So keep a look out for new chapters on this story and ****The Demonic Angel****. Thanks for reading and sorry for the wait. Happy Summer everyone! **


	4. Belonging

**Chapter 4**

Shadow walked into the door of his new home. It still felt odd to him having a place to call home. As he took off his shoes, the smell of pizza wafted into his nose. Shadow went into the kitchen to find Knuckles washing dishes for dinner. Knuckles looked up and said, "It appears the great Houdini has returned from his disappearing act."

Shadow frowned, "Concentrate on your work washer-woman."

Knuckles growled as Sonic stepped into the kitchen and said, "Come on ladies, let's retract the claws and get along. I think the pizza is almost done." Sonic went to the oven and opened it, "Hey Shadow, toss me that oven mitt over there."

Shadow did so while saying, "Wow, Sonic. All of this cooking is making me think you've gone from a hero to a housewife." Sonic rolled his eyes as he slid the pizza half out of the oven to check it.

He slid it back in and said, "Well Shadow, around here, we take turns doing chores such as cooking, cleaning, and dishes. This week, I'm cooking, Knuckles is doing dishes, and Tails is in charge of general cleaning. Of course, if you want a snack or something you have to get yourself and if you make a mess then you have to clean it. We all pitch in. So that means come next week, you have to take up a chore."

* * *

Knuckles snickered, "I think he should be on cooking duty."

Sonic chuckled, "That sounds like a good idea."

Tails walked into the kitchen, "What sounds like a good idea?"

Sonic pulled the pizza out of the oven, "Shadow having cooking duty next week."

Tails thought for moment, "Hmm. Yeah that does seem like a good idea. What do you think Shadow?"

Shadow crossed his arms, "Do I look like Chef Ramsey to you? I don't even know how to cook an egg!"

Sonic all but dropped the pizza, "What?! Dude, that's sad. But I guess the best time to learn is now before you accidently poison us next week."

Shadow replied, "And how do propose I learn?"

Sonic smiled, "I'll wake you up early tomorrow and I'll show you the ropes."

* * *

When the pizza was cool, Shadow once again took his plate into his room and declined Tails' invite to eat with them. Shadow sat on his bed and ate his pizza. _This is fantastic! Who'd thought that Sonic, of all people, could cook? And be damn good at it! _All too soon, the pizza was gone. Shadow contemplated getting seconds, but his pride held him back. After giving him so much crap about cooking, Shadow couldn't basically compliment Sonic by getting more of the pizza. _Open mouth, insert foot. _thought Shadow as he got up. Shadow entered while Knuckles rinsing plates. The pizza pan sat on top of the stove with a lone slice.

Knuckles gestured to the pizza and said, "Sonic left that extra piece for you. He figured you might want seconds." Shadow eyed the pizza longingly but he made no move to eat it.

Instead, he handed his plate to Knuckles, "No thanks."

Knuckles scoffed, "Come on man! I hate to admit it but Sonic is a damn good cook and I know you want that pizza."

Shadow looked about before picking up the pizza, "Don't tell Sonic."

Knuckles grinned, "Of course. If he asks, I'll tell him I ate it. Which is exactly what I will do if you don't hurry up." Shadow couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he ate the pizza.

* * *

The next morning, Sonic roused Shadow early, "Come on sleepy-head wake up!"

Shadow groaned, "Ugh. Why?"

Sonic took up his trademark grin, "Cause you're gonna help me make pancakes." Once in the kitchen the two gathered their ingredients. As he finished stirring the batter,Sonic said, "Now comes for the tricky part. Cooking them. Turn on the stove." Shadow did as was told. When the pan was heated, Sonic dropped some butter inside and swirled it around. "OK, I'll do a couple than you try." Shadow watched as Sonic poured the batter into the pan. With a smooth flick of his wrist, Sonic flipped the pancake. After letting it cook, he then slid it onto a plate, "See? Nothing to it. Give it a shot." Shadow nodded. He poured the batter and waited for the bottom to cook. After a minute, Shadow flicked his wrist to flip the pancake. However, he flipped too soon and the pancake fell apart midair and landed with a splat in the pan. Sonic said, "You flipped too early. Give it more time."

Shadow frowned, "Thanks Captain Obvious." After allowing his splat to cook properly, Shadow tried once more to flip it. The pancake flew high into the air, hit the ceiling, and stuck there. Sonic turned away as he tried not to burst out laughing as Shadow turned red with embarrassment.

Sonic turned back to Shadow, still snickering, "Here, maybe you should try a spatula." At that moment the pancake fell from the ceiling and onto the side of the pan. Sonic couldn't help burst out laughing. Shadow smiled as he saw Sonic double over. As Sonic continued to laugh, Shadow was unable to hold back a laugh of his own.

Knuckles awoke to the smell of burning food and the sound of the smoke alarm. He got up and stormed into the kitchen to find Sonic on a step-stool trying to disable the smoke alarm while Shadow was removed a charred pancake from the heat of the stove. Knuckles put his hands on his hips, "What the hell is going on? Sonic please that me Shadow didn't burn all of the pancakes."

Shadow glared at Knuckles, "Hey it's not as easy as it looks!"

Sonic turned off the smoke alarm, "Calm down, Knux I made plenty before I let Shadow practice. Shadow, go to Tails' room and tell him breakfast is ready."

Shadow went down the hall to Tails' door and gave it a solid knock, "Tails! Breakfast is ready!" When no answer came, Shadow opened the door. To his surprise, the room was empty and the bed was still made as it had been the previous morning. Knowing the only other place the little fox would be, Shadow went to the basement. He opened the door and completely disregarded the sign that read, 'Knock first please.' Upon going down the steps and into the lab, Shadow found Tails asleep with his head on his desk. There papers with blueprints, calculations and notes scrawled on them scattered all over the desk along with pens, pencils, erasers, and a calculator. Shadow went over and gave Tails a little shake, "Hey Tails. Wake up its time for breakfast."

Tails opened his eyes with a moan, "Shadow?"

"Yeah. Come on, breakfast is on the table." Tails nodded as he sat up and stretched out the kink in his neck. He then left the basement to get freshened up. Shadow looked at the mess of papers and thought, _Tails must have been working until he collapsed. But why?_ _Why would he work so hard on_ _this project? Is it because of me?_

The next few days came and went. In no time at all Shadow found himself with the now enormous seeming task of preparing at least 2 meals a day for 3 people, not including himself, for a week. Sonic coached Shadow as best he could and made sure whatever he managed to make was at least edible. On Thursday morning, Shadow had successfully managed to make pancakes with almost no help from Sonic. After everyone had a plate, Shadow took his portion to his room as usual. As Shadow began to eat his pancakes, which he thought were pretty decent, there was a knock at his door. Shadow put his plate to the side and opened the door. Tails was standing there with his plate. He smiled, "Mind if I join you?" Shadow's ears went up in surprise.

He stammered, "Uh, N-no, come in." Shadow opened the door wider and stepped aside so Tails could enter, "Have a seat." Tails sat down on the futon that also served as Shadow's bed. Shadow sat down next to him and picked up his plate.

* * *

After a minute or two of eating, Tails said, "The pancakes taste pretty good."

Shadow shrugged, "Thanks. It's not as good as Sonic's though."

Tails replied, "Well, at least it tastes good. Plus, the week is almost done. Next week is Knuckles' turn to cook. We're pretty much going to be living on scrambled eggs and sandwiches. So it could be worse."

Shadow chuckled, "That makes these pancakes taste a little better." Tails laughed and took another bite of food.

After a moment Tails turned to Shadow and asked, "Shadow, can I ask you something?"

Shadow looked surprised again at Tails' forwardness, "Um, sure."

Tails paused before asking, "Why don't you join us at the table during meals?"

Shadow cleared his throat, "Well, I don't know, I just didn't feel…" Shadow stopped as he searched for the right words.

"Like you belonged?" finished Tails.

Shadow nodded, "Yeah." Tails smiled again. At first, Shadow was confused. _Why is he smiling like that? Does he think this funny? _Shadow became angry. _I see what this is about. Yes, let's all laugh at the Ultimate Lifeform who appears to have some insecurities. That's probably the only reason he came in here and invited me to stay with them! To mess with my head and get in a good laugh!_

Just as Shadow was beginning to seethe with anger, Tails spoke, "You don't have to feel that way Shadow. You're part of this family now. This is your room and this is your home. That is, if you want it to be." Shadow's anger dissolved at Tails' words. Tails had finished his pancakes. He got up and went towards the door. Before exiting, he turned and said, "The pancakes were great Shadow. Hopefully we'll see you at dinner."

Shadow tried to put up a guarded expression with an indifferent, "Perhaps you will." Tails sent another smile Shadow's way and left.

* * *

Later that day, Sonic was coaching Shadow on making burritos for dinner. Shadow acted like he was listening but his thoughts were elsewhere. _Earlier when Tails smiled at me, was he trying to be kind? Why does he care so much about whether or not I get my memory back? Does he really consider me a part of this little, what did he call it? Family? I'm a newcomer here and I've never had a particular reason to like Sonic and the others. Because of my past actions, Sonic and Knuckles appeared to have an apparent dislike for me. Yet, Sonic is here teaching me how to cook! How can they bring themselves to trust so easily? Could I ever do the same?_

* * *

That night after dinner was finished, everyone gathered in the kitchen to get food. As Shadow made his plate, Tails said, "Are you going to eat with us Shadow?"

Shadow hesitated, still wary and unwilling to be deceived, "Actually, I was going to-"

Sonic spoke up, "Come on! There's an extra chair."

Knuckles chimed in as well, "You gotta stop bein' a loner sometime!" Shadow was unable to prevent a burst of laughter. Against all of his instincts and better judgment, Shadow took the empty seat. At first conversation was a bit slow.

In the back of Shadow's mind, old habits made him think, _This is a bad idea. All they're doing is making you feel comfortable. Then when you least expect it, they're going to betray your trust, use you to their own ends, and hurt you. That's how it always goes. _Shadow kept searching the faces of his roommates for anything that would suggest deceit. He combed their words for double meanings and hidden insults. However, he came up empty handed. The other three people sitting at the table seemed sincere. His fears calmed for the moment, Shadow allowed himself to loosen a little and got involved in the conversation about Eggman's unusual lack of disturbances. A debate soon started about why Eggman was so quiet. It was serious at first, but suggestions about Eggman quickly spiraled into ridiculousness as they poked fun at the villain. By the time they were done, everyone was laughing to the point of hysteria. Tails tried to drink a sip of water, but it only came squirting out his nose. Sonic was laughing so hard that he fell from his chair and onto the ground. Still laughing himself, Shadow extended a helping hand to Sonic. Sonic accepted the gesture and Shadow yanked him to his feet. The two stumbled backward and fell laughing to the ground once more. That night, for the first time in his life, Shadow felt like he belonged.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello! Here's yet another chapter I hope you like it. It would seem Shadow is finally starting open up to Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. I wonder how Tails is doing with the machine? Guess we have to wait and find out! Please read and review. P.S. I'm sure all of you know that today is June 23. That means that today is…. SONIC'S 21****ST**** BIRTHDAY! WHOOO! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIC! **


	5. Part Of A Family

**Chapter 5**

Shadow nervously sat in a chair down in Tails' basement lab. Tails was scurrying about the lab, checking wires, fuses, and connections. It had been about a month and a half since Shadow's arrival. Tails had been on overdrive to get a working prototype of his amnesia-curing machine completed. Now that had finally been accomplished and it was time to test it. Shadow took a moment to look at the young fox. His fur was messy, unkept, and dirty. His eyes were rimmed with red and bags hung beneath them. Even the kit-sune's movements suggested fatigue as he shuffled over to Shadow with his tails dragging the ground and ears drooping. Tails drew in a breath, "Are you ready for the test Shadow?" The black hedgehog rose with a nod. He followed Tails the corner where the machine had been built. It was a strange apparatus. There was a large dome like structure with several wires hanging from the inside. Shadow looked quizzical so Tails asked, "Would you like me to explain how it works?"

Shadow replied "Yes, if it's not too much trouble."

Tails cleared his throat and said, "Ok. You see, the brain and the mind are two separate things. Your brain is what controls bodily functions. Your mind however, is what controls things like your memories, dreams, and things like that. Now think of your mind as a multipurpose disk and you are the disc player. As time goes on, that disk get scratches and the player can't read a bit of data. That data could be a piece of knowledge or a memory that is now 'forgotten'. It's still there but it can't be accessed. This machine copies the piece of data, fixes it, and rewrites it on top of the old one. Does that make sense?"

* * *

Shadow nodded, "I understand. So when do we start?"

Tails replied, "Right now. Grab that chair from my desk and bring it over here while I boot up the system." Shadow did as he was asked while Tails went on, "I'm going to attach those hanging wires to the sides of your head in order to connect you to the machine." Shadow sat down under the raised dome structure. Tails carefully attached the wires, "When you're in the machine and I start it, a lot of bright lights will start flashing. At that point you need to close your eyes so they aren't hurt. After that, focus on that void that forms when you try to remember your past. It makes it easier on the machine."

Shadow nodded once more, "Ok. Let's do this." Tails nodded back, his tired face creasing into a serious expression. He went to the machine's control box and pulled a lever. The dome lowered and Shadow was shrouded in darkness down to his waist. Tails pressed a large button and immediately the machine began to hum. Inside, lights flashed. Shadow snapped his eyes shut and began to focus on the gaping hole in his memory.

Tails reached for a switch and stopped, "You ready Shadow?"

"Ready!" came the reply.

Tails threw the switch, "Beginning retrieval sequence!" Shadow winced as he felt a slight sting in his head. Tails watched a screen on the control box become staticy. He stared at it fiercely, _Come on work. _An image briefly flickered and disappeared. Tails blinked, unsure if he had seen what he had. The image came again and stayed for a few seconds before vanishing. "Yes! That's it!" cried Tails as the image appeared and remained on the screen. It was blurry at first but was quickly sharpening as the machine copied it. But just before Tails could get a good look at it, the image was devoured by static and sparks began to fly from the control box. A second later a pained cry came from under the dome.

The little sting Shadow had felt when they had begun was back with a vengeance as it stabbed him in his mind. Tails shoved the lever upwards and the dome rose up to reveal Shadow clutching his head with a pained grimace on his face. Tails detached Shadow from the machine then sprinted to the back and yanked the plug from the wall. The machine and its control box ceased sparking. Tails ran back to Shadow who now seemed calmer. He asked, "Tails, what happened?"

Tails, who looked frightenly pale and haggard, replied, "It didn't work. Something… went… wrong…" Tails began to shake and sway on his feet.

Shadow stood up, "Tails! Are you alright?" The young fox's eyes seemed distant and glazed over as he began to appear faint. Shadow lunged forward as Tails' knees buckled and he collapsed into Shadow's arms. Shadow shook him, "Tails? Tails!" Getting no response, he scooped him up and dashed up the stairs. Shadow got into the hallway and shouted, "Sonic! Sonic, something is wrong with Tails!" There was a clatter in a room down the hall.

In a split-second Sonic was skidding to a stop in front of Shadow, panic etched into his face, "What happened?!"

Shadow replied, "I don't know! We were testing the machine and something went wrong. Than he passed out." Sonic gave Tails a once over before giving a slightly relived sigh. He still looked worried, but less so.

With a shake of his head, Sonic said, "Oh man, Tails worked himself to exhaustion again. He does it whenever he really wants to complete a project. I hate it when he does that. Let's take him to his room."

* * *

Shadow followed Sonic to Tails' room. Shadow laid Tails on his bed and Sonic tucked him in. The two left the room. Shadow lingered by the door, "Are you sure that he will be ok?"

Sonic leaned against the wall and smirked, "Shadow the Hedgehog. Am I hearing concern from you?" Shadow's ears went straight up and his face flushed, but with an elaborate toss of his head and a fold of his arms, he quickly reverted to his trademark lack of emotion.

Although Shadow had managed to eliminate the color in his muzzle, his ears were still erect, "What are you talking about?"

Sonic's smirk widened, "Well it just seems that you seem awful worried about Tails."Feeling as if he was being made fun of, Shadow turned to his natural defense, cold cruelty.

Shadow frowned, "My only worry is that with Tails out of commission, the machine will not be completed and I will not be able to get my memory back. I don't care about him and I think he's an idiot for exceeding his limits and pushing himself to the edge." Sonic's smirk vanished at Shadow's hard tone and at the insult to Tails he flattened his ears to the side of his head.

With a voice that was no more a growl, Sonic replied, "You better check yourself Shadow. Tails did this to himself to help you. Remember that." Sonic turned and left Shadow in the hall alone with his thoughts.

* * *

Shadow sat on his hill under the oak tree. There was a slight breeze, rustling the grass and the leaves. Shadow pulled his knees up to his chest and stared up at the clouds. It had been two days since Tails had collapsed into a deep sleep. Since then he only awakened for the briefest of moments in which Sonic would attempt to give him bites of food or sips of water. As Shadow watched the clouds slowly travel in the breeze, he recalled his harsh words to Sonic two days prior and partially lowered his head. _Why does that gnaw at me? Why should I care? Am I feeling guilt? Perhaps Sonic was right. Perhaps I do care about Tails. _Shadow lowered his head further so it rested on his knees. _Maria… I'm so confused. Why do I feel this way? I don't understand._ Shadow thought about the first test of the machine. Before things went awry, Shadow had heard Tails shout excitingly. He recalled hearing the elation in Tails' voice and a smile came to his face. Then he remembered when Tails fainted and he felt sick inside. Shadow laid back and attempted to clear his head. But peace of mind did not come easy. Shadow was finding his place of solitude and relaxation was losing its comfort.

* * *

Sonic and Knuckles were sitting at the kitchen table with bowls of pasta salad in front of them. Neither one was eating. Tails was still asleep and Shadow had left earlier in the day, yet had not returned. Sonic rubbed his temples as a headache formed while Knuckles picked at his food. Sonic, his nature demanding that he lighten the mood, looked up at Knuckles and said, "Well Knuckles, I never thought I would live to see the day when you didn't clean your plate."

Knuckles looked up and said, "Whatever. You know I hate pasta salad."

Sonic retorted, "Then why did you make it for dinner?" Knuckles was silent until Sonic smiled and chuckled causing Knuckles to laugh as well. It was getting to be late and still no word from Shadow.

Knuckles sighed and said, "This is gonna sound crazy but… I'm actually a little worried about Shadow."

Sonic cocked his head and his ears, "Really? And here I thought I was the only one besides Tails."

Knuckles replied, "No I'm serious. It's weird but somehow that emo has grown on me."

Sonic nodded and stood, "I'm going to go out and find him." He went to the front door area and began to strap on his sneakers as the door knob turned.

* * *

He stepped back as Shadow entered. The black hedgehog appeared to have what Sonic could only interpret as stress written on his face. But before he could ask about it, Shadow spoke, "Listen Sonic, about what I said two days ago…" Sonic looked at him, with a questioning expression that prompted him to go on. Shadow took a deep breath, "I'm… I'm… I'm sorry." Sonic was unable to prevent surprise from flooding his face as his eyes widened and even his quills seemed to spike out ward in shock. Shadow continued, "What I said was unnecessarily cruel and uncalled for. I apologize." Sonic recovered from his initial shock and smiled. It was different from his normal smile though. Instead of mocking or cocky, it was soft and kind.

He extended his hand, "It's cool." Shadow took Sonic's hand and shook it. The two went to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Knuckles was eating while attempting to act like he had not been listening to hedgehogs' conversation but it was obvious he had been eavesdropping. Sonic said, "Hey Shadow, while you were gone, Knux was worried something bad had happened to you."

Knuckles' face flushed with anger and embarrassment, "What?! That is not true! And don't call me Knux!"

Shadow chuckled, "How sweet of you to be concerned on my behalf. I'm touched, honest."

Knuckles stood up, "I was NOT! Sonic's lying!"

Sonic jumped up too, faking his anger, "You're the liar Knux!" Shadow burst out laughing as Knuckles took a swing at Sonic who dodged with ease. Sonic stuck out his tongue at Knuckles who came at him once more. Sonic jumped out of the way. Before Knuckles could stop himself, he punched Shadow in the jaw. Knuckles appeared mortified, remembering Shadow's temper was more volatile than his own. However, instead of exploding, Shadow punched Knuckles back, laughing as he did so. Sonic began to laugh as well until Knuckles socked him in the gut. Sonic kicked back in retaliation. In no time, all three of them were running about the house roughhousing, shouting taunts, and laughing. After two hours, they were lying on the living room floor panting and covered in bruises and scratches. Exhausted, they fell asleep next to each other. As Shadow drifted off, he couldn't help but sleep with a grin on his face.

_So this is what it's like to be a part of a family._

* * *

**Author's Note: I am loving this story. It may seem boastful cause it's my story but it's true! I still can't stop thanking all of you for the amazing reviews I received for the last chapter of this story. Every time I read them it makes me smile. Anyways, please read, review, but most importantly, enjoy. P.S. You all know what tomorrow is so, Happy 4****th**** Of July (1 day early)! Try not to blow your fingers off with fireworks! **


	6. Hurting Inside

**Chapter 6**

Shadow was asleep on the floor of the living room with Sonic on his right and Knuckles on his left. Shadow's nose twitched as it detected the smell of cooking meat and baking bread. Shadow opened his eyes and groaned softly. His head, neck, shoulders and back ached with every tiny movement. Shadow winced as he slowly sat up. He yawned and looked around the living room but surprise sprang to his face. After last night's two hour roughhousing session, the living room had been left a wreck. The couch cushions were scattered round the room, pictures were crooked, and pieces of furniture were askew and shoved aside. However, the couch was straightened out, pictures were righted on the walls and, as Shadow now noticed, blankets had been draped over him, Sonic, and Knuckles. Shadow leaned over and shook Sonic awake. Sonic quickly sat up, a yelp quickly following as Sonic's stiff muscles let him know their displeasure. He looked at Shadow with an irritated look, "Ouch… What do you want?"

Shadow asked with a gesture at the room, "Did you do all this?"

Sonic took a quick glance about the room before saying to Shadow in his most sarcastic voice, "Yes Shadow, I hauled my cramped, spiky butt up and cleaned the living room and-" Here Sonic stopped as he caught wind of the food Shadow had smelled earlier, "and is cooking sausage and baking biscuits…"

At this moment, a familiar white muzzle and yellow-orange fur came into the living room, "Hey guys!"

Shadow and Sonic said in unison, "Tails?!"

* * *

Tails stood with a huge grin on his face. The kitsune's appearance had drastically improved. His sky blue eyes were bright and shining. Tails' coat was shining, fluffy, and neatly combed with both tails gently waving. Sonic tried to jump up but his muscles seized up and he toppled over with another yelp. Tails was at his side at once, "Sonic, are you alright?"

Sonic's face was twisted in pain, "Ugh, remind me to never sleep on the living room floor again."

A groan was heard from Knuckles, "No, I thought hard-wood floors made a great bed!"

Tails said, "I'm sorry guys. I would have moved you but, no offense, you're really heavy. Hang tight; I'll bring you some Ibuprofen." Tails came back with the medicine, "Here, I'll be back with some water." Tails came in with three water glasses and Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow swallowed the pills gratefully.

After downing his pill, Knuckles lifted his nose and sniffed, "Is anyone else hallucinating the smell of breakfast?"

Sonic smiled, "Wow Knux, you're a little slow on the draw this morning!"

Knuckles frowned, "First of all, my name is not Knux. Second, muscle cramps are a huge distractor from hunger. So am I going crazy or not because that sausage smells really good!"

Tails laughed, "You're not crazy Knuckles. Breakfast is ready and cooling. See if you can haul yourselves onto the couch. We'll eat in here so you don't have to go all the way to the kitchen. I'll be back with plates."

After a lot of groaning and complaining about the time it takes for medicines to take effect, Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles managed to get onto the couch in upright sitting positions. Shortly after, Tails re-entered with breakfast. As they began to eat, Sonic said, "I'm glad to see you up and about little bro."

Tails, who had seated himself on the left arm of the couch, replied "Yep, I feel much better. By the way, what happened to the living room and other parts of the house? I woke up and it was like a tornado blew through it."

"Hey it was Sonic who spin dashing about, not me." answered Knuckles pointing at Sonic.

Tails looked puzzled, "Is that why the hall carpet is shredded in places?"

Sonic laughed nervously before pointing at Shadow, "Well he's the one who was homing-attacking everyone and everything."

Shadow crossed his arms, "It's difficult to aim while your target is moving around. Besides, Knuckles wouldn't stop throwing things."

A lopsided smile came to Tails' face, "Well I'm glad to hear you three got along so well while I was asleep. I was worried something bed had happened when I first saw the huge mess."

All three looked sheepishly away before Sonic said, "You didn't have to clean up Tails. That's me and Shadow's job for the week."

Tails replied, "It's totally alright. You looked really tired. Plus, since I've been asleep, I've been skipping out my cooking duties. So I'm making up for it in a way."

Shadow suddenly blurted out, "But that doesn't count, you were resting! You keeping working yourself so much and the same thing will happen again and again! Why do you keep doing that to yourself? What do you have to gain from it? I've been trying to figure that out, but it doesn't make any sense!" Everyone stared at Shadow with surprised looks at the outburst. Feeling their gazes pricking at him, Shadow began to search for something else to say. _Anything to get them to stop looking at me like that! _Not thinking, he let his instincts and old ways guide him, "It's a stupid and inefficient way of doing things! And I think you're a moron for following such a system! It's a wonder I can tolerate living in the same house as you." Shadow got up and stormed from the room leaving his house-mates stunned by his cold words.

"This is exactly my problem with him! You try and be nice to him and he's nice back for a little bit until he just decides to be a jerk!" yelled Sonic as he paced the living room floor angrily. The initial shock of Shadow's change in demeanor had worn off, leaving turmoil in its wake.

"Sonic please don't shout. Shadow can probably hear you in his room." said Tails as he tried to calm his older brother. Sonic's easy-going nature made it easy to forget the violent temper the hedgehog processed. Even Knuckles took a step back when Sonic got angry.

"I don't care if he hears me! As a matter of fact, I hope he does! He's a frickin' faker! A frickin' faker who manipulates people for his own personal gain! I knew this a bad idea!" shouted Sonic at the top of his lungs.

Tails looked toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms, his eyes full of fear, "Sonic, you're just gonna make him mad too and start a fight."

Sonic took a step toward the hall, "I don't give a damn if he gets mad! Hell, I want him to get mad! I want him to get pissed and start a fight so I have a reason to shove my foot up his ass!"

Knuckles stepped in front of Sonic, "Whoa man, just calm down."

Sonic shoved him away, "I will NOT calm down! After everything we've done for him, everything TAILS has done for him! Tails frickin' worked himself into a 2-day coma cause of him! And how does Shadow repay him?! By insulting him! I refuse to stand for this!"

Tails spoke up, "Sonic it's ok, honest. You know how Shadow is."

Sonic was fuming, "Yeah I know how he is. He's a frickin' FAKER!" At this last word, Sonic plowed his fist into a near-by wall and left a size-able hole. His quills were shimmering black and his eyes were a dark, hateful green. Through clenched teeth Sonic snarled, "I'm getting out of here before I frickin' murder somebody." Sonic went to the front door and shoved his sneakers onto his feet.

Tails was immediately behind him, "Hold up a second Sonic. Let's talk about-"

Sonic yanked open the front door, "Tails, don't. I just need to get some air and put as much distance between me and that faker as possible." Tails flinched as Sonic slammed the door behind him.

He then went back to Knuckles in the living room, "Well Sonic has run off."

Knuckles nodded, "I could tell by the way the house rattled."

Tails frowned, "Now's not the time for jokes Knuckles. I'm going to talk to Shadow." He went cautiously down the hall and knocked on Shadow's door. When he got no answer, Tails entered the room to see the window open.

* * *

Shadow stood under his oak tree. His head was bowed and his fists were clenched. _Idiot! Why did I say that?! The outburst was bad enough but then I had to cover it up by calling Tails a moron! Damnit! Then… Sonic said all of those things… They weren't true! None of it!_ A lone, small tear slipped from Shadow's eye and wet his cheek. He wiped it with his hand and then gaped at the damp dot on his glove. _Am I… crying? What in Mobius?! I've never cared about anyone and no one has ever cared about me, so why do Sonic's words make me feel so… so… hurt...? Ever since I started living at their house, I can't even begin to make sense of my thoughts or feelings. All of these emotions… I've never had them before… _Shadow looked upward at the sun. It was slowly climbing towards the top of the sky telling him that noon was not far off. _Maria… I've done something horrible. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are the only people in this world who give a damn I exist. Now because of my actions and words… they might cease to care… how do I stop this Maria? How do take back what I said? _"How do I fix this?" asked Shadow aloud. He received only lonely silence.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh the humanity! Shadow tries so hard but old habits die hard. Anyways, the funny thing about this chapter is that was originally really long but I chopped it half. But just for you, my awesome readers, I'm going to post both on the same day instead of saving Chapter 7! Yay! Please read, review, and most importantly, enjoy!**


	7. This Just In

**Chapter 7**

Tails stood in the kitchen stirring the boiling pasta that would go into tonight's mac & cheese. He gave a sigh as he turned off the stove and drained the pasta. He returned it to the pot and mixed the sauce with the noodles. Tails went into the fridge and pulled out a pack of microwave hotdogs. After dumping them on a plate and setting the microwave, he shouted, "Hey Knuckles! Dinner is just about ready!" Tails could hear the echidna's bedroom door opening and his heavy footsteps coming towards the kitchen.

He appeared worried, "It 8:30 and neither of them are back yet."

Tails sighed once more, "I know. Sonic goes on long runs all the time but he was just so angry when he left… Shadow also makes all day disappearances but this time I'm worried that he might not come back. I think Sonic hurt his feelings."

Knuckles scoffed, "Sorry kid, but in case you haven't noticed, Shadow and feelings don't exactly go together. Don't get me wrong, he's an ok guy when you spend some time with him but he's kind of a zombie when it comes to feelings."

Tails shook his head, "That's not true. He doesn't show it but I know deep down he's really sad. Shadow's experiences have wrongly taught him that no cares about him and he has to fend for himself. That's why he's always so guarded and aggressive, to prevent getting close and getting hurt. When I invited him to live with us, I think he started to question his old ways of thinking and it confused him. But… when Sonic said all those things this morning… it probably convinced him that what he thought all along was true..."

* * *

Sonic was lying down on a park bench in the city looking at the stars. He had been running all over the city and the surrounding area all day but realized it was getting late. However, something made him dread going home. Sonic was a bit ashamed at his massive lack of control earlier that day. It had been quite a while since he had lost his temper like that. He partially wanted to blame Shadow but he was mad at himself too. _I keep reaching out to him but he keeps shoving me away. I'm trying to be a good friend and give him a chance to do the same but... argh! It's so frustrating! What am I not doing right? I know Shadow doesn't want be lonely, I mean who does? Or… maybe that where my mistake is. Maybe he wants to be alone. Damn! He's like a living Rubric cube where all the pieces switch around just when you think you know how to solve it. _Sonic's thoughts were broken by what sounded like angry shouting. His ears swiveled toward the noise, curious as to what was going on. Suddenly there was a high-pitched scream that made Sonic jump up and sprint in its direction. He leaped over a hedge and saw a tall male Mobian wearing a ski-mask, a lion most likely due the tail seen lashing about, trying to shove a young petite female bob-cat into a van. Without hesitation, Sonic leapt toward the male and delivered a swift kick to his face. He fell to ground and seemed to be unconscious. Sonic toward his attention to the female bob-cat, "Are you ok?"

She gratefully wrapped him in a hug and sobbed, "Oh Chaos thank you so much! This creep pulled up next to me and asked for a smoke. I said I didn't have any and he tried to pull me into the van! I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along!"

Sonic hugged her back in an attempt to calm her, "Hey, hey, easy now. Everything's cool." The revving of an engine was heard as the male in the mask, who had been pretending to be unconscious, now was behind the wheel of his vehicle. He stepped on the gas and Sonic was able to grab the bob-cat and jump out of the way just in time as the male had tried to run them over. Having failed, he floored the gas and speed off with a screeching of tires. In a normal setting, Sonic would go after him but the female bob-cat clung to him as she sobbed hysterically. Sonic said to her, "Calm down, he's gone, you're safe now."

She stopped crying and hugged him tighter, "Thank you so much! You must be my guardian angel or something!"

Sonic laughed as he put her down, "I'm no angel, I'm just a guy who can't stand around when people are in trouble. Come on, let's go to the police station and report that guy. I caught a good look at his license plate."

* * *

Tails and Knuckles sat on the living room couch as they watched the 9 o' clock news. Most of the stories had been pretty normal. A warehouse fire here, a record-breaking skyscraper had been built there, a kid had fallen in a sewer but was rescued. Knuckles was about to change the channel when the anchorwoman said, "And now, the Apex Killer, as he has been dubbed, is still on a kidnapping and murder spree. There are several missing Mobians whose pictures will be displayed in the corner of your screen during this story. If you have seen them or have any knowledge of their whereabouts, please call the number on the screen. The number of victims is thought to be at least 6 if not more. The elusive culprit's identity was unknown until tonight. We go to Lance Barman at the police station for the scoop. Lance?"

The screen went the field reporter, "Thanks Cathy. I'm Lance Barman here at the city's police station with a young lady who almost became the next victim. Can you tell us your name miss?" Lance aimed the microphone at a female bobcat.

"My name is Samantha Burks."

Lance asked, "Can you tell us what happened Ms. Burks?"

Samantha nodded, "I was walking home from my job when a large black van pulled up beside me. The window rolled down and a guy inside was wearing a ski-mask. He asked me if I had a smoke and I said no. He really gave me the creeps so I started to walk away when he jumped out of the van and tried to shove me in the back! He was yelling, 'Get in there you little slut! Get in there!' So I just started screaming! I thought he was going to kill me!"

* * *

Knuckles commented, "She's cute."

Tails said, "Shhhh! I'm trying to hear!"

* * *

Lance than asked, "How did you escape?"

Samantha smiled, "Well this really nice guy came from nowhere and kicked him right in the face! But then the creep got up and tried to run us over! But that other guy was really fast and we got out of the way. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be dead."

Lance turned to the camera, "Just incredible. It just so happens that the young man who rescued Ms. Burks also was kind enough to walk her to police station and is here right now. Lance turned to a nervous looking blue hedgehog.

* * *

"Hey that's Sonic!" cried Tails.

Knuckles laughed, "He looks constipated. Hahahaha!"

"Shut up Knuckles, I can't hear what the news guy is saying!"

* * *

"-to save Ms. Burks?"

Sonic cleared his throat, "Well, um, I couldn't do nothing, you know? It, uh, heh heh, wouldn't be right."

Lance smiled, "Its good thing this city has people like you around, huh?"

"Heh. Yeah." replied Sonic as he nervously scratched his ear.

Lance said, "According to police, it was you who reported the license plate of the kidnapper correct?"

Sonic nodded, "Yeah. That guy is a real lowlife and I hope he goes to jail for a long time."

Lance turned the camera, "Well hopefully he will because the police were able to use the plate number to identify the Apex Killer." On the screen appeared the mug shot of a fierce looking lion with a short messy mane and many scars on his face. As the picture was displayed, Lance said, "The culprit's name is Alex Ortiz. He is heavily built and is extremely dangerous. Police say that he has a tendency to attack Mobians of predatory decent, earning him the name Apex Killer. If you see this Mobian please call the police immediately. Back to you Cathy."

* * *

Tails turned to Knuckles, "Wow, the Apex Killer sounds like a real psychopath. I hope the police catch him soon before anyone else gets hurt."

Knuckles shrugged, "He didn't look that tough. People like that have glass jaws."

Tails frowned, "Knuckles, this serious! The streets aren't safe anymore with this guy running around."

Knuckles replied in a mocking tone, "Your right. Hey, aren't foxes a predatory animal? Stay inside after dark cause he might get you too Tails! Hahahaha!"

"You shouldn't joke about stuff like Knuckles." said Sonic as he entered the living room.

Tails jumped up, "Sonic! We just saw you on the news!"

"You looked like you were about to wet yourself." snickered Knuckles.

Sonic glared at him, "Ha ha. I just hate it when people put cameras in my face." He took a minute to look around, "Is Shadow here?"

Tails immediately turned somber, "No. he left around the same you did out his window. Hasn't come back since."

In a partially serious voice, Knuckles asked, "Do you think he'll be alright out there with this Apex Killer guy on the loose?"

Tails thought for a moment before saying "Well, I think so. Hedgehogs are not of predatory decent." Sonic stared at the T.V. screen. The closing news report was something about stocks and the economy.

Sonic thought _It's almost 11 o'clock at night. What the hell could he be doing out there all by himself? But… it doesn't matter._ Out loud Sonic said, "Guys… if he isn't back by morning, we're going to look for him. Shadow is a part of this family and if he doesn't know that, we need to tell him." Tails and Knuckles nodded. Sonic said, "Ok, let's get some rest." Everyone went to their bedrooms and climbed to into bed but no one got much sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 7 just like I promised. What happened to Shadow? Did the Apex Killer nab him? Fun Fact: Hedgehogs are omnivores that a variety of things from berries to snakes! Cool huh? But will that be enough for the Apex Killer to consider Shadow prey? Please read, review, and most importantly, enjoy!**


	8. One Found, One Lost

**Chapter 8 **

It was 7:30 AM and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were finishing up a breakfast of cereal, toast, and orange juice. They piled the dishes into the sink and put their shoes on. "Ok" said Sonic, "We'll cover more ground if we split up. I search the city perimeter. Knux, you search the west side. Be careful though, a lot of the gangs hang out there."

The red echidna grinned as he cracked his name-sake, "Don't worry, I know how to speak their language."

Sonic shook a finger at him, "Don't start any unnecessary mess. Think you can handle the east side Tails?"

Tails nodded vigorously, "Yeah. The east side is mostly parks, residential areas, and shops. It shouldn't be a problem."

Sonic gave the fox a thumbs-up, "Cool. Alright, let's get moving boys. Keep your communicators on. Tails, you left the note in the kitchen right?"

Tails replied, "Yep."

Sonic continued, "Good. We meet up on Central Street at noon." The meeting adjourned as each Mobian dashed to their areas and began to search for Shadow.

* * *

Knuckles strolled down the sidewalk with his shoulders back and his head high. Here in the west side, you had to look tough. The weak were picked on and exploited but the strong were left alone. He sauntered up to two rats hanging out under a streetlamp, "'Ey! You boys see a black hedgehog up in here?" The rats looked Knuckles up and down and decided it wasn't the best idea to jump him for money.

Instead the taller of the two said, "What's this info worth to ya dog?"

Knuckles replied, "That hedgehog is mah homie and I need to find 'im ASAP"

The shorter of the two asked, "Does this dude owe ya some green?"

_Chaos I hate talking like this. But when in Rome… _"Nah, he's justa bonehead in some deep shit. You know what I'm sayin'?"

The tall one nodded, "Yeah we hear ya. Listen brotha, you seem cool so we'll cut ya a deal. 10 bucks and ya get your info."

Knuckles growled, "Howz bout ya'll tell me or ya gonna be missing your buck teeth?"

The tall rat backed up, "Whoa, chill homedog! Ahrite we did see us a black hedgehog. He went on down to the booze shop k? No need to get nasty."

Knuckles smiled, "Thanks, stay fresh dogs."

* * *

Sonic dashed about the city's outer limits searching for Shadow. He asked people if they had seen him but no one seemed to know. A sonic boom was heard as the frustrated hedgehog sped across the land. He skidded to a stop at a chaotic construction site. Everyone was gasping and few screaming as they stared upward at some scaffolding. A worker was dangling from a beam at the top of a 5 story drop. After taking a minute to see if a rescue was already in the works and finding good places to jump on, Sonic took a running leap and jumped and flipped his way to the top. He helped the worker onto a wide, sturdy platform. At once the crowd below began to burst in cheers and applause. Feeling uncomfortable with all the attention, Sonic grinded down the structure and a flash of blue was the last glimpse the crowd got. Sonic came to a small neighborhood on the outskirts of the city and stopped to catch his breath. He was about to go when a small female kitten ran up to him with tears in her eyes, "Excuse me sir, can you help me?" The girls pleading eyes struck Sonic's soft spot for kids dead center.

He bent down and said in his kindest voice, "Of course. What the matter little girl, are you lost?"

She sniffled, "No but my pet frog is. Can you help me find him?"

Mentally Sonic was screaming, _SERIOUSLY?! WHAT IS IT WITH CATS HAVING PET FROGS?! OH MOBIUS WHY? WHY ME?!_ Out loud he said, "Sure kid, let's go find that frog.

* * *

Tails looked at the display on the screen of his communicator. 11:40 AM. _I better start heading to Central Street. _With a twirl of his tails and small hop, the fox was airborne. Tails thought,_ Hmm… I managed to comb through the maze of shops and residential areas but no sign of Shadow. I hope the others had better luck. _Tails arrived at Central Street where Sonic and Knuckles were just arriving as well, "Any luck?" the fox asked.

Knuckles crossed his arms, a scowl on his face, "Nope. I got a bogus tip from a couple of wanna-be 'ganstas' and blew the morning on that."

Sonic rubbed his temples and said, "This little kitten lost her pet frog and asked me to help her find it. I couldn't say no, she was close to tears."

Tails' ears drooped, "I didn't find anything either. Where could he be?"

Sonic put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry Tails, we'll find him." After a lunch break at a sandwich shop, everyone split up once more. It was fall this time of year so it was pleasantly cool with a slight breeze. If he wasn't on an important mission, Tails would have been enjoying a flight over the many parks on the east side of the city. Growing tired, he descended into a particularly large park with a small wood on it. He decided to search the woods first for sunset would be around 5 PM and the last thing he wanted was to be in the woods after dark. He looked in all of the secluded placers, calling Shadow's name as he did so. Tails sat down at the base of a tree and leaned against the bark.

He closed his eyes and sighed, _Where are you Shadow? I swear, when I find him… well Sonic will probably beat me to it. I just hope he's ok…_

* * *

Tails awoke with a gasp. He jumped to his feet and looked around till he remembered how he had ended up in the woods. "Oh man! I must have dozed off somehow! Guess I had less sleep last night than I thought. Boy, Sonic is going to be mad. I better call him." Tails tapped the dark screen of his communicator to no effect. He hit the power button but the screen flickered than powered off. "Crap! I must have forgotten to charge it!" A snapping twig made Tails' head jerk upwards and his ears stand at attention. Tails now realized that the woods were dark and full of shadows. His ears swiveled around his head in an attempt to pick up any noises that warned of danger. Tails even found himself sniffing the air like he had seen Sonic and Knuckles do when they were some place strange. Upon doing so, a horrible pungent scent came to him. It smelled of rotting flesh and blood. Tails resisted the urge to vomit as he began to silently move out of the woods. He was attempting to remain calm but another twig snapped and sent Tails off in a sprint. He burst from the woods into a more open expanse of park only to run into what felt solid as rock. He stepped back and realized he had crashed into someone's rock-hard abs. Tails' eyes traveled upwards before widening in terror. A huge fist slammed into his face and caused everything to go black.

* * *

Earlier in the day around 2:30 PM while Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails were split up again, Shadow had reluctantly returned to apologize for his outburst, explain his actions, and try to make peace in general. After a drawing up his courage, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. "Guys?" shouted Shadow as he entered and removed his shoes. Much to his surprise, there was no answer. The house was eerily quiet. The T.V. was off, no sound came from the basement and the low rumble of Knuckles' snoring was absent. Shadow entered the kitchen to look around and spotted a scrap of paper on the table. He picked it up and read, "Shadow, when you didn't come home last night all of us got really worried about you. So this morning we went out looking for you. If you come back and we're still gone, use the house phone and call one of the three numbers below. –Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles." Shadow continued to stare at the note in shock. _They're out looking for me? So does that mean…?_ Shadow ran and grabbed the house phone from the living room and dialed Tails's number. The phone rang and went to voicemail. Speaking quickly, Shadow said, "Tails, it's me Shadow. I'm back at the house. So, uh, come back. I'll be here. Bye."

Shadow hung up and dialed Sonic who answered immediately, "Shadow is that you?!"

Shadow replied, "Yeah, it's me."

"I'm gonna freakin' kill you man!"

Shadow winced at the shout, "Ow, that's my ear!"

Sonic said, "Chaos dude, you had us all worried to death! It doesn't help that there's a serial killer the loose too."

Shadow said in a puzzled tone, "Serial killer?"

Sonic groaned, "Ugh. Never mind. Let me tell the others and we'll be home soon. See ya." A click was heard as Sonic hung up. Shadow hung up the house phone and sat on the couch to wait.

* * *

Around 3:00 PM Sonic and Knuckles arrived home but Tails was nowhere to be found. "Where's Tails?" Shadow asked.

Sonic's features creased into a frown as he checked his communicator, "Come to think of it, he didn't respond to my text."

Shadow put in, "I actually called him first but he didn't pick up so left a voicemail and called you."

"Maybe it's dead and he doesn't know it?" suggested Knuckles.

Sonic replied, "It wouldn't surprise me, Tails forgets to charge his communicator all the time. Well he should still be in the east side of the city."

Knuckles said, "After lunch he said he was going to search the parks so all we need to do is go find and get him."

Shadow stood from his spot on the couch, "Well what are we waiting for? Come on!" Shadow Chaos Controlled them to the east side of the city and they began their search. It was dark out when they reached a large park with a small wood on it. They stopped at the entrance to the wood as Shadow said, "Do you think he could be in there?"

Sonic shook his head, "No, Tails is smart. He wouldn't hang around the woods after dark." Unable to continue looking in the darkness the stressed and worried hedgehogs and echidna returned home to grab flashlights. Having retrieved what they came for, the three stepped back outside as a police cruiser pulled up.

An officer got out, "Excuse me, would any of you young lads happen to be Sonic the Hedgehog and /or Knuckles the Echidna?"

Sonic and Knuckles stepped forward as the former said, "That's us. Is there a problem officer?"

The officer's face became grave, "Your friend Miles Prower has been abducted."

* * *

**Author's Note: *Gasp!* The climax of our story has arrived! Will Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles be able to put aside past transgressions and work together? Or will distrust and infighting cause them to be too late? Please read, review, and most of all, enjoy!**


	9. Then There Were Two

**Chapter 9**

The news had hit Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow like a ton of bricks. The officer had already gone and left them with an apology, a suggestion to keep the news on, and a promise to stay in touch. Sonic was pacing up and down the living room as Shadow hurriedly flipped through the news channels. Knuckles was sitting on the couch with his face buried in his hands. "Hey, I found something!" exclaimed Shadow as he stopped on a news station. Sonic ceased his pacing and Knuckles looked up to watch.

The anchorman said, "And yet another kidnapping by the Apex Killer. But miraculously enough, this one was caught on tape! A local security camera on a park lamp post caught this disturbing footage of the kidnapping."

* * *

A slightly choppy black and white image appeared on the screen. It showed a young fox run out of the woods and into a large lion that proceeded to punch him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The lion than kicked him twice in the stomach before dragging him out of frame by his two tails.

* * *

The anchorman himself appeared to be pale as he said, "The attacker is without a doubt, the Apex Killer. The victim has been identified as Miles Prower, a budding scientist and inventor who is well-known in the scientific community. He is 17 years old and his distinguishing feature is his twin tails. If you see this young fox or his kidnapper please contact police immediately." Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles stared at the T.V. in shock.

Finally Knuckles spoke, "Oh Chaos this is terrible! I should have never teased Tails about the Apex Killer. I never thought- Oh Chaos!" On the news, a criminal psychologist was talking about how the brutality of the kidnapping lent to the fact that they were dealing with a true psychopath that had no morals or empathy.

The three started listening again just as the psychologist said, "I suggest the police find this poor little fox soon. Serial killers like that only keep their victims alive for two to three days before… well, you know." Hot, angry tears began to pour from Sonic's eyes and slide down his nose. His expression turned deadly serious, almost murderous as he stormed from the living room. Shadow tossed the remote to Knuckles and followed Sonic. He caught up to him in the front hall.

Shadow grabbed his wrist, "Sonic where the hell are you going?"

Sonic turned to him with hate burning in his eyes, "That bastard took Tails. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and wait for the police to find him. Because when they do…" Sonic looked down as he clenched his fists. He looked up, "It will be too late."

Knuckles ran into the hallway, "But Sonic! You can't go looking for Tails now! According to the news, a huge storm is rolling in." As if on cue, a huge rumble of thunder sounded and rain began to pour down. Sonic went into the hall closet and grabbed a green raincoat.

He shoved his arms into the sleeves, "I don't care if it's raining. There could be a flipping hurricane out there but I would still go looking for him."

Shadow and Knuckles glanced at each other before Knuckles said, "Fine, but we're coming with you."

Sonic replied, "Only one of you should come if you must. Somebody needs to stay here in case the police come back with any news."

Knuckles immediately grabbed a deep maroon rain coat, "I'm going. Shadow, stay here ok? Give us a call if something comes up."

Shadow reluctantly nodded, "Ok. Same to you." Knuckles had zipped up his rain coat and turned to see Sonic had already gone out the door. Shadow watched helplessly as Knuckles dashed out after him into the rain.

* * *

Shadow leaned over the back of the couch as he continued his endless flipping through the different news channels. It had been about three hours since Sonic had taken off and Knuckles followed after. Shadow jumped as the house phone came alive with a loud ringing. He grabbed it and said, "Did you find him?"

The sad reply came from Knuckles, "Of course we didn't find him! I kept trying to tell Sonic that we weren't gonna find him by running around everywhere but he just yelled at me about being a quitter and took off! And now, I can't find _him_!"

Shadow groaned, "You're joking right? That crazy hedgehog isn't helping the situation by acting like a lunatic!"

Knuckles sighed, "I know. This is horrible on all of us but you know how close Sonic is to Tails. I think he's on the verge of some sort of breakdown. He blames himself you know…"

Shadow looked down at his feet, "I know. Knuckles, this whole thing is mostly-"

"What the hell is going on over there?" asked Knuckles suddenly.

"What's happening?" said Shadow worriedly. Knuckles replied, "I don't know. Some sort of car accident. There's a pile up. Hey move over pal! Coming through! Give me some room to breathe- Oh Chaos Sonic!"

Shadow began to move towards the door, "Knuckles tell me whats happening!"

"Oh Chaos! Shadow get over to 45th and Linton now!" With that Knuckles hung up, leaving Shadow to gape at the phone. With a quick shake of his head, he dropped the phone and ran to his room.

Shadow snatched the red Chaos Emerald from its hiding place and yelled, "Chaos Control!"

* * *

Shadow appeared at the street corner Knuckles mentioned and was met with a scene of absolute chaos. There was a four car pileup and the police had formed a barrier around a certain area to hold back a growing crowd despite the pouring rain and sirens could be heard in the distance. Shadow pushed his way through the crowd to the police barrier and could not hold in a horrified gasp. Knuckles was kneeling beside Sonic who was lying unconscious on the asphalt. Blood was trickling from his mouth and his torso appeared to be slightly dented on the left side. His chest rose and fell in uneven movements and his breathing was heard in raspy pained gasps. Shadow tried to get to them but a policeman quickly pushed him back, "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to stay back."

Shadow shouted, "Let me through! You don't understand!"

The officer shook his head, "Sorry sir you need to- HEY!"

Shadow hopped over the barrier and ran to Knuckles and Sonic, "What's wrong with him?"

Knuckles looked up, "I think he got hit by a car. He must have run into the street without realizing it." An ambulance arrived on the scene and the paramedics rushed Sonic to the hospital.

Knuckles and Shadow were jogging after the E.R. personnel as they rolled Sonic's stretcher down the hall, shouting information back and forth, "Patient was involved in a head on car collision."

"Ribs on the left side are completely shattered and ribs on the right are severely bruised."

"Internal bleeding, possible concussion."

"We need to stabilize the patient so that he can undergo emergency surgery." A nurse held Shadow and Knuckles back as the E.R. personnel went through a pair of double doors. The nurse shepherded the two into the waiting area. Knuckles and Shadow sat together on a bench, hoping that Sonic would be alright and praying that things wouldn't get any worse.

* * *

It was dark. He could feel cold metal around his wrists and ankles and what seemed to be straw beneath him. As his eyes adjusted the darkness, he could make out that he was sitting in what appeared to be a tool shed. Heavy footsteps could be heard through the pouring rain nearing the shed from the outside. A flash of lightning illuminated the tool shed and revealed saws, hammers, axes, shovels, and some more sadistic looking instruments scattered around the shed. The following boom of thunder drowned out the sound of the shed door swinging open. A small gust of wind blew in a sheet of rain, causing him to shiver from the cold. He was immediately alert once more as a hulking figure stomped inside and towards him with a baseball bat in hand. From the shed, a terrified scream was heard.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh no! In his haste and a slight breakdown, Sonic went and got himself seriously hurt! Can Shadow and Knuckles pull together before Tails is killed? Please read, review, and, most of all, enjoy! **


	10. Suffering To Survive

**Chapter 10**

Tails awoke with a gasp and a cough. After he gained his breath back he realized that his body ached all over. He dipped his head to look down at his shackled wrists and he felt a warm liquid run down his forehead. He gasped as a fat red drop splashed onto his white gloves. Tails slowly raised his hand and touched a spot on his forehead, just under his bangs. It was warm and sticky and ached severely upon the touch. Tails took his hand away and felt ill as he saw that his hand was covered in blood. He looked about him more to try and get a better idea of where he was. There was a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling. He could see all manner of tools as well as some very scary looking instruments around what he was guessed was a toolshed. He was bound to the wooden floor by chains round his wrists and ankles. Some straw was strewn about the floor where Tails was laying and formed some sort of bed. Tails tried to sit up but cried out in pain as his legs seized and began to ache. A glance behind revealed why. Tails' legs were covered in bruises and his right leg was bent at an unnatural angle and felt numb until he moved it once more. Clenching his teeth, Tails reached out and gingerly touched his leg at the place where it was bent. He nearly screamed as pain laced up his leg. Tails was beginning to feel faint due to the pain. A gruff, sandpaper voice snapped Tails back to attention, "Stop your whining, you big baby."

* * *

Tails whipped his head around in the direction of the voice but he quickly cried out again and held his head as it began to throb. There was a scrapping noise and heavy footsteps towards Tails. He slowly lifted his head only to see a steel-toed boot rocket at his cheek and slam into it full force. Tails was sent sprawling onto the straw straining for breath, each gasp sending out a spray of blood drops. "I said, 'Stop your whining!'" snarled the voice. Tails was able to glance up at his attacker. If he wasn't on the verge of passing out, the fox would have screamed. Staring down at him was the lion Tails had seen on the news and now as he recalled, the same guy he had bumped into as he fled the woods.

_Oh Chaos. I'm trapped here. What's going to happen to me? What is this psycho going to do to me? No. I have to remain calm. The guys will be looking for sure. I only have to wait and bide my time._

* * *

Strands of daylight came through the board walls as Tails opened his eyes. His jaw was very sore and swollen and his other injuries which Tails suspected came from a baseball bat. After a moment of thinking, he shuddered as a flash of a bat swinging at his head went through his mind. Tails looked around the toolshed. It seemed that the Apex Killer was not there. Tails heaved a sigh of relief as he sank further into the straw. He was thirsty and licked his dry lips, tasting dried blood. Tails closed his eyes and thought _Ok. If I'm going to make it through this, I need a plan. Escape is impossible. I'm definitely not strong enough to rip these chains from the floor boards. So I have to focus on surviving. Guys like the Apex Killer thrive off seeing people in pain. I have to be strong and not give him the satisfaction of seeing my tears and pain. He'll keep going till he breaks me. But I can't let him do that. I have to be strong like Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow…_

* * *

Tails had curled into a ball and was trying to conserve his energy by napping. He had finally managed to doze off when the shed door flew open with a bang, causing Tails to jump and scramble around in the straw. He managed to compose himself just as the Apex Killer stepped into view with what appeared to be a riding crop or whip. He sneered as he stalked toward Tails who was doing his best to keep his face expression-less like Shadow's. "Listen you worthless pipsqueak. This is how it's going to work. I'm going to make your life a living Hell. You're either going to die, or I'm going to tire of you and kill you. Either way, you're going to end up six feet under."

Thinking like Sonic, Tails rolled his eyes and said, "Well if you're going to keep me here, you should at least give me some water. I'm dyin' here." The Apex Killer growled and swung the whip. It lashed across Tails' face but he gritted his teeth as he always had seen Knuckles do when faced with pain and kicked outward at his warden and landed a solid blow on the Killer's knee cap. The Killer roared in pain as he stepped back and clutched his knee. After a second of hopping about he whirled around and brought down his massive foot on Tails' back, flattening the kitsune against the floor. Still determined to follow his survival plan, Tails forced himself to say, "The police know who you are now. It won't be long before they figure out where you live and where you conduct your dirty business."

The Killer narrowed his eyes before shouting, "It doesn't matter if the police know who I am, you're still going to be dead by the time they find me! Hell, they're not even going to find a body! So keep your damn mouth SHUT!" At this last word, the Killer swung the whip and it tore open Tails' back. Despite all his efforts, the young fox couldn't help but emit a pained yell. The Killer smiled evilly at Tails' cry, revealing rows of sharp teeth. He kicked Tails hard in the gut, causing a winded squeak to come out. With that, the Killer turned and left the toolshed. Tails laid in the straw, his back oozing blood and stinging and his gut aching and threatening to spill everything it had.

_Thank Chaos Sonic couldn't hear me scream like I did. It would tear him apart. But, I can do this. I have to._

* * *

The Apex Killer slammed the padlock of toolshed shut and walked to his front porch. With an angry glance at the shed, he went inside his house. As he entered the living room, he couldn't help but ponder his latest victim's words. The Killer grabbed the remote to his television and clicked it on. He flipped through the channels till he saw the news. The anchorwoman was blabbing about how the Apex Killer and his victim Miles Power had yet to be found. The Killer laughed as the field reporter interviewed a police officer who expressed his hopefulness about finding the parties in question. Shaking his head, the Killer went into the kitchen. He began to prepare a sandwich for himself as the anchorwoman listed the names of the other Mobians that had fallen prey to the Apex Killer. _What do I have to worry about? My house is located on the outskirts of the city in a secluded area that they'll never think to look for. Besides, I have a fool proof way to dispose of the bodies. _

The Killer sat down in his armchair with his meat and cheese sandwich as the anchorwoman listed the second most recent victim, "And the victim before the most current one was a Mr. Jerome Waters who we believe to be a crocodile."

The Killer took a bite of his sandwich and chewed for a minute before saying, "Funny. I think it tastes more like alligator."

* * *

**Author's Note: *sigh* you have no idea how painful it was to write this chapter. It took me all day to get it down and not feel guilty about what's happening to Tails. I know their made up characters but still… At least Tails is determined to remain strong and make it through! On the other hand is the Apex Killer. I hate this character more than anything in world! Anyways, vengeance will be had soon enough! Till then, read, review, and most of all… ok I can't say enjoy here. It's too horrible. Just please read and review. Thank you.**


	11. A Dark Vow

**Chapter 11 **

Sonic opened his eyes to see a plain white ceiling. He was quickly aware of a steady beeping. Turning his head, Sonic saw a couple of monitors with vital signs displayed on it. Sonic frowned, uncertain if those were his vitals and if so, why were they on the monitors? He tried to sit up but found he could not for every time he moved a sharp pain raced through his chest. Sonic lifted his hand and felt along his torso. He was surprised to feel extensive bandages wrapped around his chest. A frown once more crossed Sonic's features as he attempted to figure out how he ended up in what he assumed to be hospital bed bandaged up. He looked around the rest of the room and spotted Shadow and Knuckles sitting in chairs near the bed. Both were slumped in their seats, asleep. Knuckles was snoring away while Shadow had his arms folded with an emotionless expression on his face. Sonic whistled and said, "Guys!" Immeaditly Shadow and Knuckles were startled awake.

Once Shadow got his senses about him he said, "Sonic! You're awake!"

Sonic replied, "You're awfully surprised by that."

Knuckles jumped up, "Yeah we're surprised! You had us really worried!"

Sonic looked confused, "Why, what happened?"

Shadow crossed his arms, "We were hoping you could tell us that. Knuckles found you lying in the street with blood running out of your mouth."

Sonic thought for a moment before saying, "Wait, I remember what happened now."

* * *

"After Knux and I had left the house to try and look for Tails, I got frustrated and speed off on my own. It was pitch black and the rain was really pouring down. At this point I couldn't really see where I was going except for the occasional flash of lightning. I guess I should have known to be careful because I know the sound asphalt makes when I run on it but I wasn't paying attention. I'm nearing a bend that went around a building. There was another flash of lightning and when it was gone there were two headlights coming round the corner at me. I tried to skid to a stop and turn around but the road was too slippery. The car was honking and its brakes were screeching but it kept coming at me. In the next instant, I remember hearing this snapping or crunching sound and my chest hurting like crazy. Then I blacked out and I don't remember anything after that."

* * *

Knuckles shook his head, "Chaos Sonic! I told you not to go! You almost got yourself killed!"

Sonic looked away, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just… that video of Tails… I felt so powerless. It's my fault he was taken, I sent him to the east side."

Knuckles put a hand on Sonic's shoulder, "It's not your fault. You had no idea."

Shadow approached Sonic's bedside, "Sonic… I feel that I should apologize for what has happened to Tails."

Both Sonic and Knuckles replied, "Huh?"

Shadow's voice cracked several times as he said, "It's because of me that Tails was… abducted. If I hadn't ran off all day yesterday…, Tails wouldn't have been anywhere near that park. As a result, he wouldn't have been kidnapped. Also to an extent…, I'm sorry that you were hit by that car. It wouldn't have happened if you weren't out looking for Tails." There were several moments of tense moments of silence. Shadow's eyes flitted about as he thought, _Why doesn't he answer? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. But it was the right thing to do, wasn't it? _

"Shadow."

* * *

The black hedgehog's thoughts were broken by Sonic's voice. Shadow looked at Sonic and was confused at he saw. Sonic had his open arms extended toward Shadow and what would have been a smile if it wasn't so sad. When Shadow remained motionless, Sonic beckoned him to come closer. Shadow stepped with Sonic's reach and to his surprise, Sonic pulled him in for a firm but not squeezing hug. Shadow froze in the embrace, flashing back to Maria's last caring contact with him.

He was caught even more off guard when Sonic spoke, his voice hinting at tears, "I'm sorry too Shadow. To you. I'm sure you heard everything I said that morning. I didn't mean a word of it, honest. I was angry and said a bunch of stuff I didn't mean. If it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have run off and this mess wouldn't have begun. I'm sorry." Shadow raised his arms, hesitated, than fully, and heartily embraced Sonic.

Knuckles stood on the other side of the bed, uncomfortably shifting back and forth, "You two are a riot. Hugging and passing blame back and forth and crap."

Sonic looked over at him and frowned teasingly, "Come off it Knux. Too tough for hugs are we? Get over here!"

Knuckles shot back, "I'm not too tough for hugs! Shadow certainly fits that description though."

Shadow replied, "An echidna told me once, 'You gotta stop bein' a loner sometime.' I followed his advice and now maybe he should do so as well."

Knuckles smiled and shrugged, "Why the hell not? Only because you two look like you about to start bawling." The red echidna came around to the other side of the bed and joined the group hug.

* * *

After a few moments, they broke apart and Sonic's face turned deadly serious, "Guys it's been about a day since Tails was taken by the Apex Killer. We're running out of time. I hate to say it but you two need to continue to look for Tails on your own."

Knuckles leaned against the wall, "Sonic, we're not detectives. There's no way we would be able to find him. We should just let the police do their jobs."

Sonic opened his mouth to say something when Shadow interrupted, "Knuckles don't you get it?! If we wait for the police to call us, it's going to be to identify a body! Tails is counting on us. We can't let him down."

Knuckles glared at Shadow, "Don't you think I know that? I want to find the kid just as much as you do. I'm just being logical."

Sonic spoke up, "This guy has killed six people already and the police still haven't found him. Hell, they haven't even found bodies! Chaos knows what he's doing with them! I don't care if you don't want to help Knuckles. If I have to, I'll go look for him myself, injuries or not!"

Knuckles rolled his eyes before shouting, "That's what got you in that hospital bed in the first place! All that righteousness, dedication, and loyalty is useless unless you focus it in a specific direction!"

Sonic became angry, "Knuckles your pushing it!"

Shadow butted in, "Stop fighting! We're only wasting what little time Tails has left!" Sonic and Knuckles were silent before nodding in agreement.

* * *

After taking a breath Knuckles said, "Ok. Let's go get that Apex Son-of-a-bitch." With that, the red echidna left the hospital room.

Shadow turned to follow when Sonic stopped him, "Shadow hold up a second." Shadow went to Sonic who whispered, "Shadow, can you promise me something?" Shadow slowly nodded. Sonic leaned closer to Shadow, despite the obvious pain it caused him, and whispered, "If you guys find the Apex Killer and he has Tails alive, make sure the creep is landed in jail. But if you get there and Tails is dead…" Here the blue hedgehog paused. Wary, curious, crimson eyes met hateful, dark, green eyes. Sonic said in the most serious voice Shadow had ever heard him use, "Kill that bastard."

At first Shadow was shocked but he quickly said, "Ok."

Sonic grabbed his wrist, "Don't tell me ok. Tell me that you'll do it. Promise me."

Shadow surprised himself with the deadly tone of his own voice when he answered, "I promise." Shadow then turned and left the room after Knuckles. He was determined to keep this promise and would stop at nothing to do so.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoa! Who knew Sonic had such a dark side when it came to Tails? *Raises hand* But the question is, will Knuckles and Shadow rescue Tails in time? Or will Shadow have to fulfill the darker side of his promise? Please read, review, and enjoy.**


	12. Bid For Freedom

**Chapter 12**

Tails had buried his head into his straw bed and had his twin tails wrapped around him. The shed was not insulated and as a result, the fall temperatures made it cold. On top of that, the recent rain had lowered temperatures even further. Tails shivered as a breeze reached him through the wooden boards that made up the walls. The only good that came from the miserable cold was the fact it numbed Tails' injuries, especially the gash on his back. Tails turned onto his side and stared out ward into the tool shed. His corner was relatively boxed in by large shelves full of car parts, boxes, and building materials. Through gaps on the shelf, Tails could see what looked like a work desk and a chair near it. Tails wasn't exactly sure how far the chains on his limbs would let him go. He had half a mind to try and get his hands on one of the many tools around the shed and either try to free himself or fight back against the Apex Killer. The problem was, he hadn't eaten or drank in over a day and Tails knew that if the Killer came after him with a vengeance, he would need all his strength to pull through the ordeal. Almost as if on cue, the shed door swung open and the Apex Killer stomped inside and slammed the door behind him. He came up to Tails who had already put on, as he called it in his thoughts, his Shadow-face. The Apex Killer appeared to be dressed in what seemed to be a mechanic's uniform with a big red toolbox in one hand and a plastic shopping bag in the other.

* * *

The Killer set the toolbox on the ground and dumped the contents of the shopping bag. A large bottle of water and two store-bought sandwiches fell on the ground next to the toolbox. The Killer turned to Tails with the shopping bag still clutched in his hands, "Listen you. I have to go to work. If I come back and find that you've been screwing around in here, you're a dead fox. Got it?"

Utilizing his Sonic-attitude, Tails replied, "You say that like you think I'm scared of you. I'm not. You don't scare me." Tails could see the Killer's eye begin to angrily twitch and his fists clenching. Without warning, he kicked Tails onto his back and planted a boot on his chest. The Killer took the shopping bag and thrust it down over Tails' head. The panicked fox began to struggle, kick, and fail. Tails could feel himself beginning to suffocate as every breath became harder and harder.

The Killer shouted, "You're not afraid of me huh? How bout now?! Are you afraid now?!" The Killer held the bag over Tails' head until he could feel the fox's struggles becoming weak. He whipped the bag off. Tails coughed and gasped for air, coming back from the brink of unconsciousness. The Killer shoved his face into Tails', "Do you want make that little wise crack again?" Tails did not answer and continued to try and get his breath back. The Killer shoved Tails away, "I thought not. Thanks to you, I'm going to be late for work. I'll think of something special to do with you when I get home." As he picked up his toolbox to leave, the Killer kicked the water and sandwiches towards Tails and left.

* * *

The Apex Killer climbed into his black van and began to drive to a small rural town a few miles from the city. The people there were a close knit religious community that believed T.V.s and radios were a source for corruption and so no one processed either. This left the Killer free to conduct his business of fixing cars in an auto shop with no problems. As he neared the entrance to the town, the Killer smiled, _This isn't a half bad little town. It almost reminds me of home. Everyone knows their neighbors, bonded by religion, and stupid as hell. How many people have I killed from this town? I think it's been at least 5. You think they would have put two and two together when word came from the city about disappearances. The police couldn't detect a murder if it came and bit them on the ass._ The Apex Killer had just entered the town and was driving down the main street. The smile vanished from his face as another thought came to his mind. _This kid I have now… he's a tough one. That first night I thought he was going to another sniffling, pleading wimp. But somehow, he's become a tough nut to crack. Nothing I do seems to faze him. He doesn't cry, he doesn't beg for mercy, hell, he even makes smart ass remarks! Well, it doesn't matter. One way or another, I'm going reduce that brat into a begging, pathetic baby. Sometimes you have to tenderize a particularly piece tough piece of meat. _The Apex Killer pulled into a car garage. He got out, punched his time card, and went about his work, discarding all thoughts of his double life.

* * *

After eating one of the sandwiches and most of the other, Tails wrapped up and hid the remains of the second sandwich beneath the straw. He took several gulps of water before capping the bottle and setting it aside. Tails was sitting up right with his legs stretched in front of him. He was only slightly leaning against the back wall of the shed to avoid irritating his back wound. Now that he had food and water in his system, Tails had the energy to take full stock of his injuries and take care of what he could. He started with his un-naturally bent leg. At first Tails had feared it had been broken but as he probed further, he found that it was only dislocated and if anything had a hairline fracture. Tails knew that he would have to pop it back into place. After taking a deep breath, Tails grasped his dislocated leg and twisted it as hard as he could. His scream drowned out the popping sound of the bones going back into place. After the pain had died down, Tails took another swig of water before looking over his various bruises and bumps, "I hope I never see another baseball bat in my life." Tails wished that he could do something about the gash on his back. That last thing he wanted was for it to become infected and ruin his chances of survival. Tails decided that now was the time to see how much movement he had in his corner.

* * *

Tails attempted to stand upright and was able to do so with only having to stoop slightly. He then got down on his hands and knees and tried to crawl to each of the walls to the left and right. He got about halfway to the right and was able to touch the left. Tails than tried to get to the shelves that formed almost like a doorway to his area. He was able to reach the ones directly in front of him. He sifted through a box that was easiest to reach. Nothing in the box stood out to Tails as he moved around papers, loose screws, and odd parts. Tails was about to put the box back when his hands brushed against something that felt familiar. He pulled it out to discover it was a screwdriver. At first he thought of the practical uses of the tool, but darker things came to mind as Tails than thought about what he might need to do in order to survive. His face grim, Tails crawled back to his bed and hid the screwdriver as deep as possible in the straw. Tails prayed he wouldn't have to use it.

* * *

Tails had been gently dozing when the shed door banged opened once more. _Time for the Shadow-face again._ thought Tails as he steeled himself for whatever twisted activities the Apex Killer had in mind. The Killer approached Tails in his usual arrogant manner but there was something different as well. He seemed too excited.

The Killer smiled wickedly as he looked down at Tails and said, "You know, I was driving here from work while trying to find a suitable punishment for a smart ass like you and do know what I realized?"

_Cue the Sonic-attitude._ "That you have major issues and need to check yourself into a mental hospital?" replied Tails as he acted disinterested.

The Killer growled and used his boot to squash Tail's face against the ground, "No. I realized that today is Friday. That means we have all weekend to get to know each other. I hope you like tools because I have loads of them to show you." The Killer removed his boot and sneered, "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

Tails remarked, "Ha ha, the serial killer has a sense of humor." and received a kick in the gut as the Killer turned and briefly left the shed. He came back with his big toolbox and slammed it on the ground. He flipped open the lid and rummaged about inside.

He pulled out a hammer and said, "Funny story about this hammer, I used it crucify one of the guys I brought here. It was rather boring to watch him die." Tails was unable to stop his fur from standing on end and his eyes from widening. A sinister smile tugged at the Killer's lips as he continued to root through the toolbox. After a second or two, he closed it and said, "Have you ever used a vice? Cause let me tell you, I have the best vice you're going to find anywhere." The Killer produced a key from his pocket and swung one of his awful boots at Tails' face. Tails struggled to stay awake, fearing if he passed out, he would never wake up. While he attempted to keep his eyes open, the Killer unlocked the shackles binding Tails to the floor and dragged him to the work desk on the other side of the shelves.

* * *

Everything was in twos and spinning as Tails was vaguely aware that the chains were no longer attached to him. His head was aching severely as he felt his left arm slide between two pieces of metal. Tails kept blinking in an attempt to clear his vision and thoughts as a slight pressure was applied to his arm. All at once everything came into focus as pain surged through his arm. A simple glance supplied the reason. From wrist to elbow, his arm was being squeezed in a large vice with the Killer at the crank. Tails felt his wrist crack and began to wail but quickly cut himself off by biting down on his lip. _No! Don't give him an inch! The moment you start screaming is the moment he wins. Think like Knuckles. No matter how bad the pain is, he never cries or screams. You can do this, you have to do this! _A gruesome snap sounded as Tails' elbow gave. Tails bit down so hard blood drops began to form on his lips but he didn't even whimper. Frustrated at the lack of response, the Killer spun the crank like he was making a hard turn on a steering wheel. Blood was now trickling in tiny streams down Tails' chin as his skin was squashed and his bones cracked, and practically shattered. The Killer kicked Tails' legs out from under him so that he was hanging from the arm clamped in the vice. All he got was a startled gasp. All patience lost, the Killer released Tails' arm from the vice and he dropped to the floor. The Killer picked Tails up by the scruff of his neck, an action Tails, up until now, associated with playfulness, and threw him into his corner. Tails hit the wall with so much force, the boards of the wall splintered and bended outward. He hit the ground with a thud and did not move.

* * *

The Apex Killer stood for a moment, waiting to see if Tails would make some sort movement that would hint at life. It appeared that the young victim was dead. The Killer rolled his eyes with annoyance as he stepped toward Tails. He bent down and rolled Tails onto his back. The fox had his eyes closed and he didn't seem to be breathing. The Killer wrapped his huge hands around Tails' ankles and prepared to drag him from the shed. Suddenly, Tails sat up and stabbed the Apex Killer in the shoulder with the screwdriver. The Killer roared loud enough to make the little shed rattle to it's foundation. Tails scrambled out of the shed and slammed the door shut. He looked around frantically for something to block the door with when he spotted the padlock on the door. Just as he heard angry footsteps rushing at the door, Tails slapped the padlock closed. Seconds later a thunderous bang sounded and the door almost broke in half. Tails ran from the shed and towards the nearby house.

* * *

Tails tried to get into the house but it was locked. Another thud sounded from the shed and pieces of wood flew from the door. In a panic, Tails ran to one of the windows and punched it out with his good arm. Just then, the Apex Killer tore through the tool shed door with an enraged roar. Tails jumped through the window and looked about the room he was in. It appeared to be a living room. Tails ran across the room to the kitchen, in search of a phone. He came up empty handed and ran through the house looking for one. He came across a bedroom and a phone on a bed stand. He snatched it up and dialed 911. "911, what's your emergency?"

Tails quickly replied, "I'm being held and tortured against my will by the Apex Killer. My name is Miles Prower. Please you have to help me!"

The operator responded, "Where are you Miles?"

"I don't know. I was knocked out when I was brought here but I think it's a fairly secluded area. I was being confined in a toolshed. Please, start tracing this call or something cause-" here Tails was cut off by another roar but this time, it came from inside the house.

* * *

**Author's Note: Tails found and took the best opportunity for escape but will it backfire? His bid for freedom could cost him his life or earn him a chance of rescue. If they can get to him in time. Please read, review, and stay on the edge of your seats.**


	13. Reunited By Blood And Tears

**Chapter 13**

Shadow and Knuckles had just exited the hospital when Knuckles communicator went off. He answered immediately, "Hello?"

An urgent-sounding voice replied, "Is this Knuckles the Echidna?"

Knuckles put the call on speaker so Shadow could hear as well, "Yeah, this is him. Are you from the police station?"

The caller said, "Yes I am. Please come to the station immediately. We may have found where your friend Miles Prower is." Before the sentence was even finished, Shadow was pulling out his Chaos Emerald. After arriving at the police station via Chaos Control, the police chief quickly ushered Shadow and Knuckles into a backroom. In the room was several male and female Mobians with headsets and computers. The ones who weren't answering emergency calls were gathered around one female's desk as her phone, which was on speaker, relayed someone in a desperate fight for their life.

* * *

Tails had frozen when the Apex Killer had burst into the bedroom. His face was twisted into an evil grimace as he lunged at Tails with a thundering, primal roar. Tails flew to the ceiling with the phone, luckily for him it was cordless. "Please send help! Send help! He's going to kill me!" cried Tails into the phone.

The Apex Killer jumped onto the bed and snagged Tails by one of his namesakes, "Give me that phone!"

Tails screamed, "Let go of me! Let go!" Tails swung the phone and hit the Killer on the head several times before being able to get away from his claws and ran out the bedroom doorway. Tails ran down the hallway to what he thought was the living room but was startled to find a stairwell going down. He was about to turn back but the Killer was right on his heels. Having nowhere else to go, Tails practically jumped down the stairs. Tails than ran down the basement hallway to a door. He closed and locked the door just as the Killer came crashing into it. As the Killer banged away on the door, Tails backed into the freezing room, clutching the phone to his ear, hyperventilating. He bumped into something hanging from the ceiling. He turned around and to his horror, Tails discovered that he had bumped into a corpse. The corpse was terribly mutilated with huge chunks of flesh missing from it. Tails moved away from it shouting into the phone, "Oh Chaos! Oh Chaos there's a body down here! I'm in his basement and it really cold like a meat locker and there's a body down here! I can see scales, oh Chaos it's completely torn apart!"

The operator said, "Miles, I need you to calm down. The police are trying to trace your call. Please hang in there and stay on the line. Is there anything around you that you can use to defend yourself?" Tails looked around the basement frantically. All the while the Apex Killer banged, clawed, and roaring at the door.

Tails ran to the back of the basement and was horrified, "There's a big table, full of knives, like something you would find at the butcher's. There's a slab of something on the table. It looks like meat of some sort, there's deli paper and plastic containers. Wait. Oh my- Oh- OH CHAOS!"

The operator replied, "Miles? Miles what's going on?"

Tails yelled into the phone, "HES EATING THEM! HES EATING THEM! OH CHAOS!" At that moment, the Killer kicked the door in and came after him with teeth bared a terrible snarl.

* * *

Knuckles had gone white as a sheet as he and everyone in the room listened to what was going on through the phone. One female operator ran out in hysterics and nearly plowed Shadow over. Shadow regained his balance but he his mind was in turmoil. Tails' cries and screams tore at his heart and ignited a rage inside him. At that moment, a police officer ran into the room, "The trace is complete! We got an address!"

The chief barked, "Get a couple cruisers together, get the hell down there, and save that kid!"

The officer replied, "We only have one cruiser sir. Most of our units are taking care of that riot on the west side."

"Damn!" swore the chief.

Shadow jumped forward, "Sir, me and Knuckles will go!"

Knuckles at once backed him, "Please sir! You can send your other officers when you can but let us go ahead or it might be too late!"

The chief hesitated, "I don't know. This is dangerous criminal."

The operator working the phone Tails was on suddenly cried, "Chief! The line has gone dead!"

The police chief turned to Shadow and Knuckles, "Alright go! Go!" Shadow and Knuckles got the address and Chaos Controlled to the secluded property.

* * *

There was black van parked next to a shed with a splintered door. A few feet away was a house with one busted out window. Shadow and Knuckles wasted no time jumping through the window. They stopped in their tracks as they heard a horrible scream from below their feet. The two flew down the basement steps and through what remained of the door. At first both froze at the sight they were greeted with. The Apex Killer loomed over Tails with a tire iron and was beating him with it. The young fox was screaming at the top of his lungs in pain and fear. Shadow was the first to leap into action. He punched the Killer in the back of the head, "Get away from him you bastard!" The Apex Killer whirled around, swinging the tire iron. Shadow ducked under it and Knuckles came from behind and put the Killer in a choke-hold. The Killer flipped him over his shoulder and began to hit him with the tire iron until Shadow tackled him to the ground. The black hedgehog punched the Killer in the face as hard as he could. Blood splashed from the Apex Killer's mouth and cuts and bruises formed. Shadow threw punch after punch as he acted out his rage. He found himself unable to stop the blows from landing again and again. Knuckle was knocked out from a blow to the head.

Only a small weak voice broke through Shadow's angry haze, "Shadow stop!" Shadow froze, mid-punch and turned his head in the direction of the voice. Tails was on the ground, covered in his own blood and wounds. His face and eyes were pleading as he said, "Please Shadow. Don't kill him. Don't stoop to his level." Shadow stepped away from the Apex Killer. He then went to Tails' side and was trying to help him to his feet so they could rouse Knuckles and leave. Tails shouted all at once, "Behind you!" Shadow turned in time to see the Apex Killer pounce on him and close his hands around his throat and squeeze. Everything was quickly going black for Shadow and Tails' cries ringing in his ears.

* * *

Without warning, the police chief and the officer from the station burst into the room. The chief opened fire on the Apex Killer, the shot landing in his flank. The Killer fell to the side grabbing his wound. The officer shoved handcuffs onto the Apex Killer and drug him away from Shadow and Tails while the chief radioed for an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, everyone had been moved upstairs. Knuckles had regained consciousness but nearly fainted when he caught sight of Tails. The paramedics put their focus on Tails who was the worst off. After applying bandages here and there, the paramedics transported Shadow, Knuckles, and Tails to the hospital while the police cruiser took the Apex Killer. When they got there, Tails and Knuckles were treated for their injuries. The Apex Killer was treated for his gunshot wound in a special ward before being hauled off, with the help of several police officers, to jail.

* * *

After treatment and some convincing, doctors let Tails and Knuckles leave their rooms and go visit Sonic's room. Shadow and Knuckles helped Tails, who had a cast on his left arm and a brace on his leg, make the trip across the ward. Shadow knocked on the door and received a, "Come in!" Shadow and Knuckles walked in the room together with Tails between them. Sonic couldn't help but gasp and cry out, "Oh Chaos Tails! Tails what happened you?"

Tails hesitated, "Are you sure you want to know?"

Sonic scooted over in his bed, wincing from the pain in his chest, and gestured to Tails to sit down, "Yes, every detail." Tails looked at Shadow and Knuckles who had already pulled chairs close to the bed.

"Please tell us Tails. Please." said Shadow as he sat down. Knuckles nodded in agreement. Tails sat down on the bed, drew in a shuddering breath, and began recounting his frightening ordeal. As Tails did so, he finally allowed himself to cry the tears he had been holding in for so long. As he did so Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles embraced him. All four of them sat on the bed and wept together.

* * *

**Author's Note: Tails is safe and the Apex Killer is behind bars. But there is some unfinished business. What about Tails' machine? What will be the fate of the Apex Killer? That's why we have epilogues! Please read, review, and enjoy. **


	14. Epilouge: Tieing Up Loose Ends

**Epilogue**

It had been almost a year since the Apex Killer had kidnapped, tortured, and nearly killed Tails. Since then, the police had been searching the Killer's home, van, and the toolshed. They found the makeshift meat locker in the basement and identified several carcasses as the remains of some of the victims. With a mountain of evidence against him the Apex Killer confessed to everything in an almost proud manner. The entire city was rocked to its core when the full horror of the Apex Killer's murder spree was revealed. A large number of citizens were demanding that the Killer be served the death sentence for the primal barbarism of his crimes. After all of the evidence had been organized, the Apex Killer was put on trial for the murders, improper disposal of remains on more than 10 counts and the attempted murder, wrongful imprisonment, and torture of Miles 'Tails' Prower.

* * *

Tails was the prosecution's star witness and he testified against the Apex Killer. He told how his two days in the Killer's grasp played out and showed the jury the long scar inflicted by the whip. Everyone was mortified at level of cruelty and almost the whole courtroom was stunned into silence when the park surveillance video that showed Tails' abduction and a recording of Tails' 911 call was played. Shadow and Knuckles also came to the stand as witnesses and described what happened when they arrived at the scene. After three days, the jury pronounced the Apex Killer or Alex Ortiz guilty on all counts. The judge sentenced him to death. There was cheering throughout the whole court room but was quickly silenced by a shout from Tails, "Wait a minute!" everyone became hushed. Tails ran up to the witness podium and removed the microphone. He turned to the judge, "Your Honor, if I may be so bold, I ask you to please change Mr. Ortiz's sentence." Everyone gasped.

* * *

Tails continued, "Please, hear me out. What Mr. Ortiz has done to me has scarred me forever. He has destroyed so many families with his heinous crimes and has forever traumatized this entire city. But, we cannot execute him. Because if we do, we are no better than him. I have no pity for Mr. Ortiz and for the rest of my life I will be dealing with the horror and the hate but we can't allow ourselves to stoop to his level."

* * *

The courtroom was silent until the judge said, "Miles Prower you are absolutely right. Do the victim's families agree?"

The families all nodded and said, "Yes"

The judge than said, "Than I am herby resentencing Alex Ortiz to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole. Mr. Ortiz, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Mr. Ortiz, who had been fairly silent during the whole trial, sneered and said, "I only regret that I never got to know what fox tastes like." The courtroom erupted into gasps and a few screams. Tails dropped the microphone and backed away in to the protective arms of Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles. Mr. Ortiz threw back his head and laughed evilly, "I knew I would finally break you. I'm going to remember your scared little face when I'm in jail!"

Sonic broke away from Tails, "You bastard!" Shadow quickly grabbed Sonic by the arm and held him back as the furious blue hedgehog tried to lunge at Mr. Ortiz. Tails ran in front of Sonic who shouting at Mr. Ortiz, "You frickin' scum bag! If you as much as look at Tails again, you're gonna wish you were never frickin' born!" Sonic was not the only one who was enraged by Mr. Ortiz's comment. Several other people in the court started to yell obscenities and try to seriously hurt the heartless serial killer.

The judge bellowed, "Case dismissed, get this monster out of here." Police dragged Mr. Ortiz through a courtroom of angry shouting people, shoved him into a cruiser, and drove him to jail to serve out his life sentence. After he had gone, everything turned from anger to sorrow and trauma.

* * *

One week had passed since the trial. Tails invited Shadow down into his basement lab. "What's this about Tails?" asked Shadow as Tails led him to a familiar little corner. The machine now had several more wires and the large dome that was reduced to two helmet looking devices which were connected to the control panel. All of this was hooked up to the control panel.

"Well, I've been trying to figure out what went wrong with the machine the last time we tested it. And I think I mad as breakthrough. The reason it didn't work last time is because the machine couldn't handle storing memories long enough to restore and rewrite them back into your mind. There's no way to convert memory into data that can be handled by any computer. So, I modified the machine a little. Take a seat."

Shadow sat down under the in a chair and Tails sat in a neighboring chair. Shadow looked at the one helmets and said, "So what did you come up with for the solution?"

Tails picked up the other helmet, "The only thing that can handle memories is the mind. So, what these helmets are going to do is copy one of your damaged memories, paste it into my mind, restore it, than rewrite it back into your mind."

Shadow said in a surprised tone, "Really? But, are you sure you want to do this? What if something goes wrong?"

Tails smiled, "Don't worry. Nothing is gonna happen. Put on your helmet and we'll fire this puppy up." Shadow nodded and put on the helmet. Tails did the same and pressed a few buttons on the control panel. He threw a lever and the machine whirred into action. Shadow flinched as he felt a small sting in his head. Tails said "Ok. Starting the retrieval process." He flicked a switch and both he and Shadow winced as the machine tapped into their minds and went about its work.

* * *

Tails briefly got blurry flashes of a human girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a very kind face and Tails occasionally caught an innocent laugh or a gentle whisper. He got the sense that this girl was a wonderful person and really important to Shadow. An orange light came on the control panel. As he pushed a button, Tails said, "Engaging restoration." Tails began to lose himself in his mind as the flashes became more prolonged and clearer. The girl was saying something. Her face was had a pretty smile as she spoke. Until she paused and the smile dropped. Tails got a sensation of someone grasping his hands in theirs. The girl looked him in the eyes and was saying something that Tails couldn't quite make it out. However, something told him that what the girl was saying something very important, a promise. When she had finished speaking, Tails found himself nodding. A small beep from the control panel and Shadow's voice brought Tails back to reality.

* * *

"Tails are you ok?" asked Shadow as the fox blinked in a daze.

Tails gave his head a shake, "Yeah sorry. Alright, time for the last step. Initiating rewrite." Tails pulled a small lever. Immediately, Tails felt the images of the girl drain out of his mind. After about two minutes, they were gone, leaving Tails with a slightly light-headed feeling. Shadow's eyes widened as he was slammed by a long-forgotten memory flooding his mind

* * *

Shadow was sitting by one of the many observation widows of Space Colony ARK with Maria. It was their favorite window for it had a full view of the beautiful, blue Earth. Maria turned her and smiled at Shadow. She said, "Isn't the Earth beautiful Shadow? I wish I could go there but Grandfather says I'm too sick to go."

Shadow replied, "You can always go when you get better. I'll take you there!" Maria laughed, "That's very sweet of you Shadow."

Shadow smiled shyly, "Well, you're my best friend. I want to make sure you're happy. Just like how I want to make Professor Gerald happy because of all he's done for me. I want to do good things and make you proud."

Maria's smile faded. She took Shadow's hands in her own. It never ceased to amaze Shadow how Maria's hands were always so cold. Maria looked Shadow in the eyes, "Shadow. I know you want to do good things and help people. That's great, but I want you to remember to also make yourself happy too. Find things that you like to do and take time to do those things. Shadow, promise me you'll remember to make time for yourself. Promise me that you'll remember to make yourself happy."

Shadow nodded his head, "I promise Maria. I promise."

* * *

Shadow opened his eyes. He was speechless. The orange light turned to green on the control panel. Tails said, "Rewrite complete. Shadow? How do you feel?" Shadow looked up at Tails, dumbfounded. Tails was concerned, "Are you alright?"

Shadow said quietly, "I remember."

"What?" asked Tails.

Shadow said louder, "I remember. I remember!"

Tails jumped up, "You do?"

Shadow leapt to his feet as well, "Yes! I remember!" Shadow grabbed Tails in a hug, "Tails, I remember! I remember!"

Tails hugged him back, "Oh my gosh! It worked, it worked, it worked! Shadow it worked!" Sonic and Knuckles came running down the stairs.

Sonic shouted, "What happened? What's wrong?"

Tails turned to Sonic, absolutely overjoyed, "Sonic! It worked! My machine works!"

Sonic practically did a backflip, "Awesome! That's fantastic!"

Knuckles grinned ear to ear, "Nice! Now you can finally get your past back!" Suddenly a knock on the front door was heard.

* * *

The four ran up the steps, still happy and giddy about what happened. Tails got to the door first and answered it. Standing on the porch was a female raccoon with fire red hair and a lab outfit on. When she turned to see the four guys standing in the doorway, she turned as red as her hair and said nervously, "Hello. My name is Mikysara. I'm one of Dr. Botner's interns at the University of Neurological Studies."

Tails replied, "Oh hi. What's up?"

Mikysara started at her shoes as she said, "Dr. Botner wanted to say that he's very sorry about the unfortunate ordeal you endured recently. But now that it's over, he was wondering how the machine is going. He heard you had a test subject."

Shadow stepped forward, "Test subject? What are you talking about?"

Tails stepped onto the porch, "Guys, give me a minute ok?" Sonic, Knuckles, and Shadow slowly retreated inside.

* * *

The three sat down on the couch. Shadow turned to Sonic, "Sonic what was that girl talking about?"

Sonic was silent before saying, "I'm not sure. Do you remember when Tails explained the whole machine thing to you?"

Shadow thought for a moment, "It seems so long ago, but yeah. I think he mentioned a university. Unfortunately I wasn't paying much attention until he mentioned what the machine did."

Sonic replied, "Well, the reason Tails asked me to find you is because the university asked him to build the thing." Knuckles had gotten up and was peeping down the entry hall and watching the door.

Shadow said, "So Tails picked me because I was the perfect candidate to help him with this…"

Sonic immediately looked him in the eye, "Shadow, listen to me. When Tails told me about this, one of his first thoughts was how this would help you." Shadow did not reply. He turned his eyes to the floor. Tails reentered the room.

* * *

Tails sighed and ran his fingers through his bangs, "Shadow, I have some explaining to do." Shadow said nothing but merely cast him a look to go on. Tails sighed once more, "I don't know if you recall, I certainly forgot, when I talked to you about helping me, I mentioned that the University of Neurological Studies had asked me to make it. Right?" Shadow gave the tiniest of nods. Tails continued, "That intern was sent by the doctor who asked me to build the machine to see my progress. With everything that has happened in the last year, I haven't contacted him in a long time. But Shadow, even though this project would make my career as an inventor and scientist, I never had that in mind. I always thought about helping you. Please, I never meant to use you. I-" Shadow put a hand up to stop Tails. He stood from the couch and walked toward Tails.

Shadow cleared his throat, "Tails. I hate to be used. I hate to be deceived. I don't trust. I don't open up. But… with all that we've been through… I trust you Tails. And I trust you Sonic and Knuckles. I believe you when say that you weren't using me. I want to give you guys something for all you've given me."

* * *

Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails had just arrived at their destination via Chaos Control. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all had their eyes closed. Shadow said, "Ok. Open your eyes." The three did so and all gasped. They were standing on top of a small hill under a huge oak tree. Below them was a stretching field of waving grass in the breeze and dots of lovely fall wildflowers. The sky was completely clear blue and the sun warmed the area.

Sonic took a big whiff of the air, "Wow. This place is beautiful."

Tails was staring at the sky, "It's breathtaking."

Even Knuckles was tacked aback, "So untouched by the impurity of the city."

Shadow smiled, "This is my special place to be alone but…" Here, Shadow's smile faded, "I'm tired of being alone. I… would like to continue living with you guys… if you'll have me."

Tails whirled around, a huge smile on his face, "Shadow, you have no idea how long we've been waiting for you to ask that. Of course we'll have you!"

Sonic gave Shadow a thumbs up, "Did you even need to ask?"

Knuckles put his hands on his hips, "Yeah, you must be super dense. Why would we say no?" Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles embraced their now permanent house-mate who did not hesitate to embrace back.

_Maria, I've fulfilled my promise to you. I'm happy._

_**The End**_

* * *

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with this story and have given reviews. It really helped me make it through and reassured me that people are reading and liking my stories. I hope this ending satisfied and tied up all of the loose ends. If you have any questions about the ending or the story in general, please feel free to PM me. Thank you again for reading. **


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